Some Kind Of Mistake
by CanITellUSmThin
Summary: While attending the first ever masquerade ball thrown at the Arendelle residence, Anna finds herself drawn into the arms of an enchanting guest, leading her to a new discovery, and changing her entire world forever... Elsanna/incest
1. Oh, What A Night!

**(I DO NOT OWN FROZEN, it belongs to Disney!)**

**AN: Hello, there! This is my first fanfic! Since becoming obsessed with the awesomeness that is Frozen, I wanted to experience more of it so I joined FF. I happened to stumble aboard the great and wonderful Elsanna ship and it not only made my obsession for Frozen exponentially worse, but it also made me want to contribute to the community! So here I am, and here it is! Let the Elsanna ship sail on. ;D Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride...**

It was going to be the first ever masquerade ball held at the Arendelle castle, and it had been Princess Anna's brilliant idea.

While exploring the streets outside the castle gates, busy catching up on all the years she missed out on getting to know the friendly Arendellians, the bubbly princess overheard two gentlemen talking about these so called masquerade balls. Highly intrigued by the idea and very eager to learn more about it, she raced home and caged herself in the royal library for hours, poring over any books she could get her hands on about the subject. Eventually she reached the point where she desperately wanted to- no, HAD to experience one of these masquerade balls for herself. So the very first chance she got, Anna presented the idea to her older sister, Elsa. Unsurprisingly, the great queen of Arendelle seemed hesitant about the idea.

"What purpose would there be to throw this ball?" Elsa questioned during breakfast the morning Anna brought it up to her.

"For fun!" Anna said exultingly. "There doesn't always have to be a reason behind throwing a party!" When Elsa just gave her a blank look she huffed and added, "It's good to be spontaneous once in a while! And think about it, you could literally be anyone at the ball! Anyone, Elsa! No one would know that you're the queen, so people won't look at you differently! Doesn't that sound appealing to you?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow at that. She had to admit that Anna did bring up a few valid points, and the whole masquerade thing did sound quite fun. After a long think and several more persistent nudges on Anna's part, she eventually agreed to throw the party for the younger girl and was then almost choked to death by the overly excited princess's arms as they enveloped her neck in a loving display of thanks.

At the time Anna had been so ecstatic that she could hardly contain her excitement. She went nuts looking for an outfit and mask that were to her liking. She didn't want anything too fancy or attention grabbing as she wanted to blend in with the guests. The headpiece she settled on was adorned with an array of black, gray and brown feathers that Anna meticulously wove into her fiery hair. To her eyes she looked like an exotic bird of some kind. The mask itself covered the majority of her face except her mouth and below (easy access to food, of course) and was tan in color with a slight blushing around the cheeks. The blush was an added touch of her own to give it a more lively look. Her dress was a mix of brown and green, the fabric overlapping at the skirt like leaves fanned out in a neat fashion. It was semi-backless and her shoulders were tantalizingly bare.

Anna couldn't wait for the day to arrive and was prepared to have tons of fun. Then finally, FINALLY, the day came. The ball was in full swing, the usually spacious Great Hall overflowing with chatting and dancing guests. But an hour into the ball Anna found, much to her dismay, that she… could not contain her boredom.

Sure, the whole costume and mask thing was fun at first, but Anna soon found that not knowing who anyone was made the event quite a bore. She'd had countless conversations and danced with numerous people and she had no clue who any of those people were. Yes, that was the whole point of a masquerade ball and the very reason Anna wanted to have one to begin with. The mysteriousness had seemed so exhilarating. But experiencing it first hand proved it was not as enjoyable as she'd initially thought.

Or… maybe it was just her. Everyone else seemed to be having a great time.

What bothered her the most was that she didn't know who or where Elsa was among the large mass of masked people gathered in the ballroom. That was probably a good thing though, because if Elsa found out how bored out of her mind and disappointed Anna was about the ball she'd probably think it was her fault and that she'd done something wrong, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her sister.

Anna really wished she was having a good time. She dreaded the thought of having to lie when confronted with the inevitable question that the queen was sure to ask the next morning. What could she possibly do to elude the terrible boredom that plagued her?

While Anna tried to think of something, she stood by the long, extravagantly decorated table that was loaded with food and busied herself by cramming her face with chocolate. Her eyes scanned the crowd of laughing, dancing people as she relentlessly stuffed her face. Eating seemed to be the only logical option at the moment, and she really couldn't complain about that, especially when chocolate was easily accessible. The only thing that would have been exceptionally better than chocolate was krumkake, which was the princess's absolute favorite dessert in existence. The castle hadn't had those in stock for a while, unfortunately, and when they did get a batch in they were gone in a blink of an eye. It wasn't Anna's fault they were pleasing to her taste buds. It wasn't her fault her hands couldn't keep away from the deliciousness and her mouth couldn't refrain from devouring them so greedily. Anna groaned as her stomach grumbled angrily at her brain for thinking of that which could not be had.

Returning her attention to the dance floor, Anna had to admit that a lot of the attire she saw was pretty impressive. Many of their guests had gone all out for the ball. Feathers and ribbons galore, dresses of all different shapes and sizes, and the masks! It was amazing how unique each one was. She was pleased to see so many wearing masks that were painted over entirely with various colors, and Anna really loved the ones with animal print designs, even if most of the animals they were replicating were unfamiliar to her. There were a few masks she saw that were bland and colorless, appearing as if the wearer's threw them on as an afterthought, and Anna guessed those people had personalities to match the mask-boring with a capital B! Then she remembered how her mask looked and she wished she had been more creative. Her mask definitely lumped her into the boring category, though the headpiece surely made up for it.

Anna's hand paused as a chocolate attempted to enter her mouth when she caught sight of what had to be the most gorgeous figure she'd ever seen in her life. Scratch that… the SECOND most gorgeous figure, because no one could be more gorgeous than her big sister, especially on the night she let everything go. The whole ice dress and how Elsa had her braided hair hanging down rather than in its usual bun atop her head had been… a stunning sight. At the time Anna had thought she'd witnessed Aphrodite, the goddess of love, in person. Warmth developed within her chest whenever she thought back to that unforgettable meeting, but the sensation traveled and expanded to her nether regions as well, and she was fairly certain such a feeling shouldn't be felt by a sister for a sister. Shaking the thought from her mind, she refocused on the beautiful woman currently in her view.

The magnificent figure that caught Anna's attention was wearing a form-fitting dark blue dress speckled with sparkles of white, which to Anna made her appear like the night sky filled with twinkling stars. Her mask matched the layout of her dress, with sparkles centered mainly around eyes that were just begging to be gazed into. White-blonde hair cascaded down her back with strands of light blue ribbon intermingled and, against the dark blue of her dress, was like a beautiful waterfall lit up by moonlight. Anna found herself wondering why Elsa never wore her hair down like that. She'd look wonderful with it flowing freely, Anna was sure of it. It was almost always in a queenly bun, and very rarely the down braid, probably because Elsa knew it was too distracting and not fitting for a queen around her subjects. Anna figured since the braid alone was super sexy, then having her hair free of restraint could only be super WOW.

Ugh, why was it no matter what she thought about, it always brought her back to Elsa? Not that it was a bad thing… well, maybe in her case, especially considering the manner in which she was thinking-

Shoving the previously suspended chocolate in her mouth, Anna wiped her lips to remove any evidence of chocolate murder having taken place and found her legs moving of their own accord towards the creature that her eyes could not tear away from. Anna wasn't sure what came over her, what possessed her to approach this stranger so daringly, but she would make the most of it.

She was beginning to think there was a slight possibility the night wouldn't be so boring after all.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the divine specimen. Anna smiled politely, though it came out more like a mischievous grin, and held her hand out to the woman as an offer to dance. She was filled with joy when the other's cool, smooth hand clasped around her own. They shared a smile as she led them to the dance floor and neither spoke as they danced together.

To say Anna wasn't a nervous wreck would have been a lie. She was not much of a dancer. Anna had taken a few lessons back in the day but she was so bad at it that her dancing instructor had quit on her. After the many bruises he'd received and that unfortunate incident that left his leg broken, she couldn't really blame him. She dabbled in dance here and there afterwards and built up some semblance of a rhythm to at least be passable at it. For her dance partner's sake, she really hoped so.

But Anna needn't have worried. She thankfully didn't mess up and make a fool of herself by being clumsy and stepping on her partner's feet or tripping. _This is a first_, she mused to herself happily. They danced for a long while, and the entire time Anna was mesmerized by the other's riveting blue eyes and her kissable lips. Oh, how she wanted nothing more than to bring those lips to her own. Her entire body warmed at the thought and she swore the woman sensed what she was thinking and feeling because those eyes twinkled with mirth which in turn made Anna burn up even more.

Those lips moved dangerously close to her own and then bypassed them to hover next to her ear. "Are you enjoying yourself?" the woman whispered alluringly, sending an electric jolt through Anna's body. Anna nodded mutely in response as her hands tightened around the other's waist. She saw those eyes darken in color as they fell briefly to Anna's hands and their death-like grip on her. Anna trembled as lips faintly grazed her ear and she felt them form into a smile against her skin. "Let's go somewhere more… private."

Anna swore the floor was crumbling beneath her as her legs almost gave way at the sudden disappearance of the other's contact. She started to protest, wanting to feel the closeness again, when the woman's hands took hold of her own and she led them purposefully off the dance floor, away from the sea of masked bodies. They left the main hall and headed towards the door leading outside and into the royal garden. It should have struck Anna as odd that this person could so easily find her way around the place without making a wrong turn and getting lost once, but she was too busy admiring the back of the blonde's slightly wavy hair and the smooth swaying of her hips to really take notice.

The scent of flowers permeated the air as they entered the garden. Anna normally wasn't too fond of the smell as it reminded her eerily of funerals, specifically her parents'. She was constantly reminded of death every time she entered the garden, which was why she avoided going there often. But for once thoughts of dead people and sadness didn't enter her brain as she was pulled along by the mysterious masked woman. Her mind was only on what was about to take place…

_Wait, what?_

Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, so hard that she could feel her pulse through her own hands. She swore she would see her heart escaping from her body at any moment. Everything was moving way too fast! Anna balked and the other sensed her hesitation and stopped leading her on, retracting her hand and meeting her eyes almost guiltily.

"I'm sorry," the woman whispered, suddenly seeming very unsure of the situation, self-consciously brushing a loose strand of platinum hair that fell in front of her face aside. Her arms wrapped around her body and she turned away. They were completely alone, out of sight and earshot of everyone and anyone, but she continued speaking in a hushed whisper, as if afraid someone would overhear. "I shouldn't have imposed-"

Anna's fear dissipated and was replaced with determination and a burning desire she'd never felt before in her life. Perhaps it had something to do with the masks and the fact that whoever this stranger was would never know her true identity. They'd never meet again, and even if they did happen to meet in the future, at least they wouldn't recognize each other….Or perhaps it had everything to do with the way those pouting, enticing lips pleaded for her to kiss them. Whatever the cause, she grabbed the woman's arm and forced her to turn and face her. She tugged her close, cutting the woman's words off with a firm but gentle kiss. It was not too demanding or greedy but enough to signal to the other that she was more than okay with whatever she had planned.

The woman tensed at the sudden and unexpected action before relaxing and giving into the kiss. She let out a pleasant sigh and wrapped her arms around Anna's shoulders, deepening the kiss and pressing her body closer.

Anna felt a sense of vertigo and teetered backwards. She braced for the impending impact of the ground making contact with her back, but instead of the expecting thud and forthcoming pain, she felt the sturdiness of a tree behind her. She silently thanked the tree for its support as she continued tasting the other woman's mouth uninterrupted, marveling at how delicious and sweet and intoxicating she was. Her hands moved seemingly by themselves, ambitiously exploring the body that was so dangerously close to her own.

Purring at her touch, the woman caught one of Anna's wandering hands to place it firmly against a clothed but very prominent breast, and it didn't take long before the other hand followed suit, no assistance necessary.

As Anna fondled what could only be perfection, the woman brought her leg up and inserted it between Anna's thighs, causing the princess to gasp out loud against the other's mouth from the sudden contact. The kiss between them heated up after that, their tongues colliding against each other in a blissful duel. They slid to the ground, Anna barely feeling the rough bark of the tree scratching against her back on the journey down, cutting into her exposed skin and tearing the cloth of her dress. The woman straddled her waist and gazed down at her with such hunger, Anna was sure she was about to be eaten alive, and she was more than willing to be devoured by the woman. A hand pushed up the skirt of her dress and snaked its way up her leg, a trail of goose bumps following the caress. The hand hovered mere inches away from Anna's open thighs and her inviting sweet spot. Anna impatiently raised her lower body to eagerly meet that hand, wanting so badly to feel its promising touch. But the hand had the nerve to retreat from her! She growled in frustration and grabbed the back of the woman's head to crush their lips together aggressively.

The masks were becoming a terrible annoyance for Anna. She wanted the object preventing her from pressing her naked nose up against the blonde's and rubbing their cheeks together gone. She desperately wanted to see the lovely woman she was with and she was so close to ripping the masks off their faces but somehow restrained herself.

The woman broke away from the kiss, breathless, and Anna smirked, relishing in the knowledge that she had caused that breathlessness. The other gulped in a mouthful of air before diving back down. Her lips slid off Anna's, taking a minor detour and leaving a saliva trail all the way down to her uncovered chin until they rested on her neck. Anna closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations, her hands once more roaming, memorizing the feel and shape of the body that was achingly close to her own. She was startled when teeth nibbled delicately against her neck and then she giggled, wriggling her body to escape the ticklish administrations while at the same time not wanting it to stop. The woman chuckled and continued her assault as if she were a well-mannered vampire and licked the marks her teeth left behind before returning to Anna's lips. Her hand resumed its course to Anna's secret place… and infuriatingly paused once again.

Anna felt as if her whole body was on fire and she was going to explode. She was painfully drenched down below and needed the contact the woman was withholding so badly. She was embarrassingly close to begging for it, barely containing the shout that was fighting to erupt from her mouth. Instead, she allowed but a small whimper to escape.

That seemed to be the signal the woman needed to close the gap. Her hand wormed its way inside Anna's surprisingly soaking panties and the blonde gasped from the feeling in shock. She cupped Anna's crotch, her fingers ever so slightly brushing against her throbbing, erect nub and Anna's body arched at the touch as she moaned loudly.

"Please…" Did that needy expulsion come from her mouth? It must have because the woman's lips were once more preoccupied with her neck and couldn't have spilled out of them unless she had the ability to throw her voice. A velvety tongue caressed the side of Anna's jaw line and her head spun as persistent fingers stroked the fire that was burning down below. Her hands clawed up the woman's back and attached to the soft and silky white-blonde hair as her hips jutted forward against her will, demanding the hand to stop its teasing and to get on with it. She heard the woman's breath hitch as their pelvises smashed together.

It seemed the other finally had enough of torturing her or she just became increasingly impatient herself because she mercifully entered Anna. Anna hardly felt the temporary stinging pain that came with the breach. The sexual tension that coursed through her body tuned out any pain she might have felt before her body could register it.

There was a brief pause as the woman allowed Anna's body to adjust to the intrusion inside it, to welcome it. Then, slowly the delicate fingers pushed in and out and gradually her hips mimicked the motion so their bodies undulated together in unison. Gasping and panting as one, their rhythm and pace increased with each thrust. Anna craved to have the woman's soft, naked body against her own, wholeheartedly despising the clothes that covered their bodies and kept that experience from her.

They held on to each other, the friction between them growing stronger and stronger until it became too much. Anna threw back her head in wild abandonment, her head thumping hard against the tree as an orgasm escaped her body in a very vocal manner. She felt the woman's body spasm against her almost immediately after and collapse weightlessly on top of her.

The two were quiet as they regained their breath and calmed their overly excited hearts. The woman extracted her hand from its hiding spot and pushed herself up so she could look down at Anna. Their eyes connected and they nervously shared a laugh together.

"That was fun," the woman murmured.

"Yes, it certainly was," Anna agreed breathlessly.

The masked vixen leaned down for a final deep kiss and whispered, "Thank you."

Anna started to say, "Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?" The woman had done most of the work, after all. But before Anna could utter the words she was gone.

The cold that followed her secret lover's departure made Anna crash back down to earth. She suddenly became very aware that she was lying on the ground against a tree, dress askew and likely looking like a total mess. _But a good mess_, she assured herself as she climbed to her feet shakily, brushing dirt and grass off herself. Her body trembled fiercely, still recovering from the intense encounter. Somehow she managed to walk towards the fountain at the center of the garden and sat down by the shimmering pool of water, waiting till the earthquake inside her subsided. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as her mind relived the event that literally took place only minutes ago and she flushed at the memory.

_Did that REALLY happen?_ Anna thought dazedly. The more she thought about it, the more unreal it seemed. It was something she would have expected from an erotic romance novel, really. She certainly never imagined herself to ever be in such an intimate position with someone she knew nothing about. It was insane! Anna pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming and yelped from the pain her fingers induced.

Nope, she wasn't dreaming.

Anna lounged there by the fountain with a satisfied smile spread across her face for an hour or so, and once her body was functional again, she stood on steady legs and made her way inside the castle. Not wanting to be seen by anyone in her disheveled state, she skirted through the halls until she safely arrived at the door to her own room. The party must have still been going on considering how she encountered no servants or leaving guests the entire way. The masquerade ball certainly appeared to have been a major success.

Upon entering her room she unceremoniously dumped herself onto her bed with the intention of falling fast asleep, her body overcome with sweet exhaustion. Maybe if she was lucky she'd dream a beautiful dream with a certain someone as the star, only this time with no stupid masks or clothes present… Her vivid imagination would fill in the blanks and attach the perfect face to match the lithesome body that had so graciously rutted against her.

As her head hit the pillows she winced in pain from the scrapes on her back and the bump on her head that the tree so generously gave her, not that it was entirely the tree's fault…

Anna groaned and made herself sit up. A bath was probably a good idea. She'd clean herself up first and then dream.


	2. More Than a Sisterly Feeling

Elsa couldn't sleep.

She tried so very hard, tossing and turning, hoping to find a position comfortable enough so she could drift off into that elusive slumber. But her overworking brain and sexually charged body would have none of that. She couldn't seem to get over what she'd done at the ball and was continuously re-analyzing each moment as if to make sense of what happened.

The queen had gone to the masquerade ball with the full intention of having a good time, as per Anna's suggestion. For one night she didn't have to be Arendelle's queen and was free of any and all worries. She was just part of the crowd, a regular, ordinary person like everyone else, and no one would have guessed otherwise. Truly, it was such a wonderful experience for Elsa. She was included in many pleasant conversations with her people and guests from visiting kingdoms, and she heard quite a few interesting stories. Some of the stories were about herself, and while most of them were good, there were a few that did set her teeth on the edge. It was hard, but she bit back any remarks she itched to make in response to those that spoke of her so negatively and kept the coldness that threatened to seep out of her pores at bay so as not to give herself away.

Aside from those brief spurts of unpleasantness, the majority of the night was highly enjoyable and she was extremely happy that Anna had approached her with the idea. Hoping Anna was having as much fun as she was, she tried to locate her younger sister to see how she was fairing and to thank her for the splendid idea. Unfortunately, Elsa had no luck finding her. There were too many disguised people around and she didn't have the faintest idea of what Anna was wearing. It was Anna's choice for them to keep their outfits a secret from each other, and Elsa supposed it was for the best since she was certain the two of them would have likely stayed by each other's side the whole night.

Elsa continued searching for Anna a bit more before her growling stomach distracted her, loudly reminding her she hadn't bothered to put anything inside it since early in the morning. She had been too busy making sure the preparations for the ball went smoothly to stop and eat something. So with her grumbling tummy demanding to be fed, she walked to the table where all the food was setup. The aromas of the various delicacies available wafted up to her eager nose and her mouth watered.

But instead of food greeting her she was confronted with an outstretched hand and an invitingly devilish grin, and at that point Elsa had to make an important decision. She decided it wouldn't have been nice to ignore the offer presented to her. Her stomach made it this far, it could hold off on food a little while longer.

The night went from great to amazing the second her hand interlocked with the female's and she was drawn into a lovely dance. It started out innocent enough, but as the dance progressed, Elsa became perfectly attuned to the girl's quickening breaths and how her eyes focused almost longingly on her lips. She watched as the girl's tongue slowly slipped out and traced her own lips exquisitely, and the best part was that the girl was clearly unaware she was doing it. But that small action was what spurred Elsa forward, and before she knew it she had the girl melting under the special care of her magical hands...

After sharing an intensely intimate moment with the dazzling girl, Elsa regretfully left her as quickly as possible. Truth be told she didn't want to just leave her alone so abruptly. It was extremely inconsiderate, but she didn't have a choice. Remaining any longer with her would have put her at risk of being discovered. So the queen retreated to her room, her mind in disbelief of what had transpired but her body thrumming with happiness, trying to tell her brain that it happened and it had been so daring and awesome and wonderful.

That had been HOURS ago.

Elsa sat up in bed, throwing the covers off of herself. There was no use laying in bed when she was still so worked up. Clearly she wouldn't be getting rest any time soon. She lit the candle by her bedside and the faint flickering light illuminated a small painted portrait of her sister on the table. Elsa picked it up, a soft smile immediately spreading to her lips.

_Oh, Anna_. Elsa laughed out loud knowing that Anna would have been proud to hear that she had been spontaneous. Kissing the picture lovingly, she placed it back in its spot and dangled her legs off the side of her bed, her bare toes inches from touching the floor. She had every intention of going to the bathroom to freshen up early for the new day, but Anna's gaze stopped her from going anywhere. She bit her lip and wondered how Anna would really react if she found out about her little escapade with another woman, and a stranger at that!

Picking up the candle, Elsa finally stood and walked the short distance to her private bathroom, seriously contemplating on telling Anna about her eventful night. The sisters had gone right back into the sisterly swing of things once they were reunited as if the years of separation never happened, and not keeping secrets from each other was pretty much an unspoken rule between them. But… surely this was an exception? Anna didn't really need to know about her sexual rendezvous and she probably wouldn't want to know about it anyway. Elsa decided not to tell Anna about it. It was a harmless secret so not telling Anna about it wouldn't be that big of a deal, and at least it wasn't as bad or as big of a secret like… her true feelings for her sister.

Elsa loved Anna with all her heart and soul. She always loved her, and not one day did she ever stop loving her. Even if she shut her little sister out all those years ago, even if she purposely avoided her, she did it out of love. She didn't want to hurt her, even though by shutting her out she had done just that. It was ironic how her fear of hurting her sister was what almost killed her in the first place. But their impenetrable love prevailed and saved them both in the end.

Love was such a complicated thing…

Unfortunately for Elsa, her love for her sister was not just a sisterly kind of love. It had blossomed into something way more than that. She noticed her peculiar feelings for Anna on the day of her coronation. So many things happened that day, and she remembered everything so vividly, but one moment in particular, aside from when she thought she lost Anna for good, was stuck at the forefront of her mind every single day.

It was the moment she laid eyes on her sister again for the first time in years…

_Elsa finished the last touches necessary for her hair and examined herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair was done in an intricate bun, and she was wearing the same dress her mother had worn at her own coronation, with a flowing purple cape trailing behind her. The woman she saw in the mirror was the same woman she always saw when she looked into it, but today there was a discernible difference gleaming in her eyes. Normally they were full of fear and worry, but right at that moment they were much calmer, and her brows were set in determination. Today was the day she had to leave her room and embrace the fact that she was to be the queen of Arendelle. _

_As the queen there would be no more hiding behind a locked door. She had spent most of her life secluding herself from the world out of necessity, and now she had to enter society again after so long. The thought made Elsa so nervous and the temperature in the room dropped considerably. Worry returned to her blue eyes and her brows furrowed as she raised her hands, sheathed in green gloves, and wondered if she could safely contain her issue. She tried so very hard… but some days were harder than others. She clenched her hands into tight fists and hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself in front of all of Arendelle. _

_She crossed her room and reached for the knob of her door. Hesitating, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, releasing it in a slow, long exhale. She silently chanted her longtime motto her father had taught her as her hand turned the knob and she stepped out of her room. Elsa told herself everything would be fine as she walked down a long hallway. As long as she wore her gloves she would be… _

_Elsa stopped short in front of the Great Hall when she heard the unmistakable sound of her sister's voice. Hearing that voice through her locked door throughout the years, especially as a child, was the one thing she looked forward to everyday. It boosted her spirits immensely. But as they grew older, Anna spent less time outside her door, which made Elsa try harder to get better at controlling her powers so her ears could listen to that voice free of obstruction._

_Now she had nothing in the way to block the noise her eardrums craved to hear. She perked up when she realized the younger girl was not simply talking, she was singing! And standing where Elsa was, listening to that sweet, melodic voice sing… it was without a doubt the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard in her life._

_Elsa smiled sadly. When was the last time she'd actually, physically seen her sister? The years before and after their parents' deaths all she saw of Anna was a small glimpse here and there whenever she dared to venture out of her room, like a flash of her reddish-brown hair or a flailing limb. It had been too long and she had a strong urge to see Anna again. All she had to do was stick her head inside the room. She cautiously peered inside, and when she saw Anna in full view after so long her heart swelled with happiness. The princess had certainly grown into a beautiful young woman._

_Anna was too busy dancing and singing in a world of her own so Elsa was able to watch her unnoticed. She rested her head and hands against the door frame as her eyes remained fixated on her prancing little sister. She watched in fascination as Anna spun gracefully in her dress, her skirts fanning out around her, and as she danced and sang to her heart's content, her hands grabbed on to purple drapes that she expertly wrapped around her body. Elsa felt like she was coming down with a fever as her face grew terribly warm all of a sudden and an odd sensation struck her abdomen when Anna lounged against the wall and rolled her shoulders in what could only be described as a provocative manner. She hardly noticed when the twirling tassels of the drapes smacked her sister in the face as she'd grown incredibly lightheaded and sweaty, and her hands tingled with the unexpected emergence of her powers._

_Elsa pushed herself back from the open doorway and hurried away, leaving a trail of frost in her wake, trying to make sense of the strange feeling she experienced. It was not a foreign feeling to her. Being confined to her room for so long, Elsa had plenty of time to read, and she particularly enjoyed romance books because it made her feel… good. But to experience the same feelings while in the presence of her sister? While watching her? She forced her mind to forget what she'd seen and focused on the issue of her gloves needing to come off and controlling her powers for the upcoming ceremony. _

_But in the current state she was in, she had a sinking feeling she was doomed._

Returning back to the present, Elsa shook her head and started removing her nightgown and underclothes, wanting to think about anything other than her sister. That was easier said than done. If she was completely honest with herself, the whole reason she seduced the girl at the ball was because she needed to get Anna off her mind and she thought the girl was a perfect outlet. The problem was the whole time she was with the girl all she could think about WAS Anna, and with the help of the mask it was too easy to picture the girl writhing beneath her as her sister. Hell, the girl had felt exactly the way Elsa imagined Anna would feel, so soft and warm and deliciously wet. And the sounds she'd made…

"Stop! she groaned irritably, reminding herself it wasn't Anna her hands had the pleasure of touching. But… was there really any harm in imagining otherwise? Thinking it was different than actually acting on it, right?

No, it was wrong no matter how she looked at it. Anna was her innocent little sister and to even think of defiling her in such a way was blasphemous. Glaring at her naked reflection in the full length mirror just outside the entrance to her bathroom, in an attempt to halt anymore dirty thoughts about her sister, Elsa said aloud, "Enough." The mirror fogged up briefly, as if a cool breath had been blown upon it. The fog crackled and frosted over and large cracks formed across the smooth reflective surface. Elsa winced and frowned, her fingers lightly skimming over the broken glass. Sighing, she decided it was a good idea to take a long, chilling bath to get her thoughts back in order.


	3. Breakfast Is Served

The morning after the masquerade ball, Anna woke up feeling warm and fuzzy all over. She yawned loudly and rose to a sitting position in her bed, her auburn hair strewn wildly about her face. Still yawning, her mouth open wide, Anna removed the hand that had comfortably nestled itself between her legs some time during the night while she slept and stretched her body out, raising her arms high above her head and wincing as aching muscles cried in protest.

_That's funny_, she groggily thought, _I feel like I've been through a rigorous workout_. She scratched her head, puzzling over what it was she had done the night before that had gotten her so sore…

Her hand entangled itself within her hair as she blinked and gasped suddenly, the memories of her time with the beautiful stranger flooding back to her like a tidal wave. Wrenching her hand free, and with a sudden burst of energy, Anna launched herself out of bed and promptly fell flat on her face, her feet constricted by the blankets and sheets that had somehow wrapped around them. She hurriedly wrestled herself free and rushed straight to her bathroom, where on the floor she found what appeared to be a pile of leaves and a flattened bird- her dress and the headpiece she wore to the ball. Lifting the dress to examine it closely, she flipped it around to check out the back and noticed the tears made from the tree when she'd slid down its length. Her lips spread into an enormous smile and she hugged the dress, squealing with delight. It had been real, oh so deliciously real!

Giggling uncontrollably, Anna threw the dress back on the ground and plopped herself in front of the mirror. Picking up her hairbrush, she brushed her outrageous hair till it was tame enough to braid and got to work, whistling happily as she did so. While her fingers expertly twisted her hair into two single braids, Anna noticed teeth marks on her neck and leaned forward to get a better look. Touching the marks gently, she remembered how she got them and was lost momentarily in the memory. She sighed contentedly, dreamily gazing at her reflection, before a knock coming from her bedroom door snapped her out of her stupor.

"Princess Anna?" a male voice called, followed by three solid knocks. "Princess Anna, are you awake?"

Anna poked her head into her room so her voice could be heard loud and clear. "Yes, I'm awake!" She added, so only her ears could hear, "For once." It was very rare for her to be up so early. Normally she stayed in bed till it was close to lunch time.

The disembodied voice informed her, "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, Your Highness. Will you be attending?"

"Yes! Yes, I will. Thanks!" she answered.

"Very good."

Anna listened to the retreating footsteps and returned to her previous task, admiring the love bites that decorated her neck. She realized she would need to cover them up so as not to attract any attention. They couldn't be passed off as mosquito bites, and frankly there was no disguising what the marks clearly were. Elsa would be horrified if she knew what her little sister had gotten into at the ball. Her entire face reddened as she pictured Elsa's reaction in her head.

"You can't have sex with someone you just met," Elsa would say in her stoic, queenly demeanor.

And what could Anna possibly say to that? She couldn't very well use the true love line. Anna wasn't foolish enough to believe that whole love at first sight crap anymore anyway, not after the Hans incident. Though she was beginning to wonder if the current situation she put herself in was really any better. Sure, she didn't sleep with Hans but at least she knew his name and saw what he physically looked like. She literally knew nothing about the person she gave herself to last night. On the other hand, the woman she was with didn't try to kill her either.

_What are you doing?_ she chided herself, scrubbing her face with her hands irritably. _Why are you comparing Hans with her and why the hell are you feeling guilty about it all of a sudden? It happened, it was the best experience EVER and it will never happen again. Get dressed, go down to breakfast, and when Elsa pops the question, tell her you had a great time at the ball without mentioning the REALLY great part and be happy._

Taking her great advice, Anna finished her customary twin braids and dressed herself quickly. She tied a ribbon around her neck, ensuring it totally concealed the marks, and once she was done she threw open the door to her room and walked out. She was ready to strut her way down to the dining room when something caught the corner of her eye and she stopped. On a small table next to her door sat a vase full of purple flowers. They were likely put there by Olaf, who loved flowers immensely. Ever since he began living with them in the castle he appointed himself the official royal gardener. Every now and then he would pick flowers and plant them around the castle so everybody could enjoy them.

Anna hadn't the slightest idea what the flowers she found before her were called but seeing them reminded her instantly of her garden adventure and she plucked them up excitedly to admire them up close. The stems were much longer than she anticipated though, so when she pulled the flowers up and out of the vase, the stem ends hit the rim, causing the vase to rock on the table before it tipped over completely. The vase rolled off and crashed to the floor, scattering glass and water everywhere.

It all happened so fast, but to Anna it felt like it was in slow motion.

Still as a statue, Anna checked to see if anyone was around to witness the accident. When she was sure there were no witnesses she set the flowers on the table and walked down a few feet to where a nice rug lay and dragged it so it was closer to the wreckage. Anna used her foot to sweep the glass onto the rug and then rolled it up to prevent any pieces from falling out and used the rest of the rug to soak up the water. Once all the water was gone she carefully brought the damp, bundled rug into her room and stashed it into the far corner of her closet, where seven other similarly rolled up rugs were also being kept.

She was now past the point of being a serial vase killer… albeit an accidental one. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put fragile objects anywhere close to the clumsy princess's bedroom door made a big mistake. And to keep replacing said breakable objects after the previous ones kept miraculously disappearing was an even bigger mistake… She would have to talk to someone about that.

Returning to the hallway, she did a quick once over, and once she was certain all traces of the broken vase was out of sight, she grabbed the now vase-less flowers and not at all suspiciously went downstairs to the dining room to have breakfast with the queen.

Anna cheerily burst into the dining room with the flowers presented in front of her and shouted exuberantly, "Good morning!"

Elsa was standing by the windows waiting for Anna's entrance, watching the fluffy white clouds float lazily by in the blue sky outside. Hearing her sister's voice, she turned to greet her and quirked her lips up, noticing the flowers in the princess's hands. "What's with the flowers?"

"Flowers?" Anna looked at her hands and the flowers clutched in them, which despite having only happened a few minutes ago, she completely forget all about. "Oh! Oh, right! Ha. Flowers."

Elsa motioned for a servant to take the flowers from Anna. The servant quickly fetched a new vase, which he set down on the table they were going to be eating breakfast at and placed the flowers in their new home.

Her body brimming with overwhelming excitement, Anna hurled herself at her sister, wrapping her in a tight hug. She did it partly to hide the guilt on her face due to breaking the vase, but mostly because she loved being able to be so close to Elsa again after the many years they spent apart. It didn't hurt that she always got a thrilling rush when she touched her sister. "I found them… somewhere and thought they were nice so I brought them for us to enjoy."

"Uh huh." The queen buried her face in Anna's hair, discreetly breathing in her lovely, savory scent as they hugged. "I thought you hated flowers," she said confused. Finding herself getting too comfortable with the hug, Elsa reluctantly broke it off. She heard Anna grumble in frustration as they parted, though she wasn't sure why the princess made the noise. Or maybe it was her stomach she had heard?

"I don't hate flowers. How can I hate something so pretty?" Anna said, her eyes lighting up when she noticed her sister's hair was in the down braid she loved so much. _It's like she read my mind_, she thought happily as her hand reached for the platinum tress and petted its softness. "I'm just not fond of their smell, is all," she explained, bringing the hair to her cheek, her eyes closing as the silky blonde strands stroked her skin. It felt incredible, like the caress of feathers. "Mmm."

Elsa's voice jammed in her throat as she silently watched her sister's action. While she was certain it was an innocent display on Anna's part, it was rather unsettling for the queen as it seemed so… intimate, and she didn't want her to stop. It seemed like they were that way for minutes, even though it was really only a few seconds, and Elsa's body temperature started rising significantly. She finally managed to clear her throat loudly, startling Anna out of her reverie.

_She must be exhausted from the party last night_, Elsa figured, finding a logical reason behind her sister's odd behavior. She placed her hands on Anna's shoulders and steered her towards the dining table, hoping her sister wouldn't notice the trembling in her hands.

Embarrassed, Anna let herself be guided, hoping her sister didn't notice how much SHE was shaking. Jeez, what had she been doing? She had totally lost herself in her sister's hair. But what hair to get lost in… Was it possible to drown in someone else's hair? It wasn't an unpleasant thought. Although… now that she thought about it, hadn't she already lost herself while gripping hair with the same texture last night? The color and the feel of it was practically identical to that of the woman's if her memory served her well. If she had more experience with both she would say they were one and the same, but… that was just silly. They weren't the same at all, just eerily similar. And while she'd never see the woman again, her sister would always be around so her luscious hair would be accessible to her if she desired to touch it.

Making a habit out of fondling her own sister's hair more often sounded like a wonderful idea…

"What the hell?" Anna mouthed, taking her seat at the table while Elsa took her own at the opposite end. Plates loaded with eggs and steak were served to the young royals and Elsa politely thanked the servants delivering their meal, dismissing them so the sisters could eat and talk in private. Anna gripped her fork and knife, her brows furrowed with concern at the totally strange thoughts she was having regarding her sister. "Shut up," she told her befuddled brain.

"Did you say something?" Elsa inquired, her fork poised to bring a perfectly cut slab of steak to her mouth.

"No," Anna answered quickly. With one elbow on the table Anna propped her head up in her hand and played with her food before she mechanically started eating.

The room was uncomfortably quiet besides the clinking of silverware against glass, some rather obnoxious chewing on Anna's part, and the sisters' combined breathing. Elsa sensed the rather unusual tension between them and decided to be the first to break it. "So," she began with a genuine smile, "how was it?"

Surprised, Anna missed her open mouth and stabbed herself in the cheek with the egg impaled on her fork and stared at Elsa, blinking rapidly. "The sex?"

Taken aback by Anna's words, Elsa's head shot up fast and all traces of color drained from her face. Her mouth gaped open as her manners flew right out the window, exposing the food she had been in the process of chewing. "What?" Steak escaped from her mouth and plopped back onto the plate with a wet thump and her fingers lost their grasp on her fork, which slipped and fell to the plate with a clatter and then bounced off the table.

Seeing her sister in such an unflattering position would have made Anna burst out laughing had the situation been different. But what Anna wanted to do instead was smack herself in the face for being such an idiot and spewing out the one thing she wasn't supposed to. She was positively mortified! Did she really think Elsa was asking her about THAT?

_It's okay, I can fix this_. Eyes innocently wide, Anna responded right back with, "What?" So clever…

The room had grown incredibly cold and Elsa looked aghast. "Did you… I'm sorry, I don't think I heard right. What did you say?"

_Shit. Think of something!_ Anna stammered, "I- I said, um… the sets! Yes! The decorations and stuff. Was that what you were asking about?" She numbly found her glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and stole a quick sip to cure her parched throat. "I was so distracted by this amazingly delicious breakfast that I must have missed what you asked, sorry," she said, giggling nervously.

"Oh… Ooh!" Elsa laughed timidly and some of the tension released from her body as she exhaled explosively. Gradually, the room regained its normal temperature and she hoped Anna didn't pick up on the shift.

But the change obviously didn't go unnoticed by the princess. Anna's questioning eyes stared back at her. Needing to get out of her sister's line of sight for a moment to compose herself, Elsa quickly found an excuse. "I… dropped my fork." She pushed back her chair and looked around the floor for the object.

"Just leave it and have a servant bring you another one, Elsa."

"No, no. It's fine. The floors are squeaky clean," Elsa said lightly, her eyes busily scanning the floor and not seeing the utensil. _It must have gone underneath the table_, she realized.

Anna sighed and said slowly, "Okay, but that's not the point. A queen such as yourself shouldn't be scrounging around for a fork that fell on the floor."

Elsa ignored her. "It's under the table so give me a second." She dropped to her hands and knees, lifting the table cloth and peering under.

"I can get it for you if you really, really desperately need this specific fork," Anna said dryly, amused.

"No, I got it," Elsa insisted. Seeing no trace of the elusive fork, she crawled underneath the table to continue her search and took a moment to admire the cleanliness of the floor. It was definitely clean enough to eat off of if someone really wanted to. She made a mental note to commend those responsible for the chore then returned to the task at hand. Her eyes traveled up and she soon realized her little trip under the table had been a really bad idea. "Oh, no," she squeaked.

She should have listened to Anna and left the damn fork alone. But no, she just had to go and retrieve it. Of course, she had no way of knowing the item would have somehow mysteriously landed not only underneath the table, but all the way at the opposite side where it rested directly below Anna's feet. Elsa could have taken the fork and returned to her seat with no issues and their breakfast could have resumed normally, but she found that what lay before her was too hard to resist…

Anna's dress was hiked up high enough that her left calf was uncovered, and she wasn't wearing any stockings or tights which left her bare skin exposed. Her right leg was hidden, crossed over the top of her left leg, only a jiggling shoe-covered foot peeking out from the skirt. Elsa crept closer, drawn to her sister's legs as if she were a moth hypnotized by a flame. The foot continued shaking up and down as if taunting Elsa. Impulsively, she reached out and took hold of the teasing foot, the fork long forgotten. Elsa's mind was now focused on something much more important.

The princess gasped out in surprise from the unexpected touch. "Elsa? What are you doing?" She felt her leg being pulled down from its position and her shoe being removed. Anna wriggled her freed toes and laughed hesitantly, shifting in her seat. "You're not going to tickle me, are you?" she asked nervously.

Well, that wasn't Elsa's plan but she couldn't be faulted if what she was about to do was ticklish to her sister. With Anna's leg stretched out before her, Elsa allowed her fingers to thoroughly feel the tan, lean muscles. Anna was into outdoorsy activities and spent most of her time enjoying the sun, and it certainly showed. "You have beautiful legs," she complimented, lowering her head and kissing the tips of Anna's toes one by one.

"Than- oh." Anna sucked in her breath at the touch of warm lips at her feet. "E-Elsa?"

"Shh." Elsa peppered light kisses up Anna's leg, stopping at the knee where the dress skirt prevented her from progressing further. Elsa pushed the skirt up higher to get it out of her way and returned to her first position, but this time with the other leg. She tossed the shoe covering Anna's left foot aside and resumed planting kisses from her toes to her knee, only stopping the second time to pry apart the princess's legs. Instinctively, Anna started to close them, but Elsa swiftly positioned herself between them to prevent her access from being denied. The kisses continued, Elsa's hot breath getting closer and closer to Anna's inner thighs. Once again, her progress was delayed by the most offending cloth she'd ever faced in her life.

"Elsa… wha… what are you doing?" Anna breathed out hoarsely, her hands gripping the edge of the table.

Elsa paused and felt around the floor until her hand connected with the item she had intended to acquire earlier. "I'm going to kiss you," she stated nonchalantly.

Anna's blood pounded in her head and she gulped audibly. "You… what?"

"Don't move." Using the fork, Elsa hooked the prongs onto the material hiding the prize that she so desperately yearned for, being especially careful not to poke her sister, and yanked it hard enough to tear the fabric. She dropped the fork quickly and finished tearing the rest with her hands. Eventually what remained of the shredded panties followed the path of the fork. Triumphant, Elsa mutely gazed in awe at the treasure before her. She closed her eyes and inhaled the musky scent of her sister, nostrils flaring delightedly. The legs that entrapped her trembled with anticipation, and she grinned, barely able to contain her own eagerness.

Gripping her sister's hips, Elsa fully realized the position she was in and knew there was no going back. There was only one thing left for her to do. Closing her eyes, she brought her lips to meet those that were much warmer and incredibly wetter.

Anna gasped at the contact and balled the tablecloth into her tightly formed fists, nearly jumping out of her seat, but her sister's firm grasp on her hips kept her in place. She fought back a moan.

The intoxicating scent of Anna's obvious arousal was so strong and pungent, Elsa feared she wouldn't be able to finish what she barely started due to her losing consciousness from excitement overload. Reluctantly, she backed off to give her body the oxygen it needed and heard Anna release a strangled, frustrated cry, which added more fuel to Elsa's growing lust.

With renewed breath, Elsa dove forward and licked along her sister's slit, tasting her dripping nectar. Head spinning, she delicately nipped and sucked each fleshy fold before delving deeper between them. Her tongue swirled teasingly around Anna's rigid nub.

Anna was unable to restrain her moan any longer and let it free. Her pressing hands, which settled against the back of Elsa's head in an attempt to bring her closer, and the sounds of encouragement she made urged her older sister on and told her she was doing the right thing. Elsa continued her administrations with her tongue and her hands joined in on the action, tenderly caressing and loving the womanly features that belonged to her sister. She deftly slipped a few fingers inside Anna's opening, the slickness of her juices allowing her fingers to glide in smoothly.

"Oh, Elsa! Elsa!" Anna screamed her name, not caring if anyone heard, the pleasure so powerful it overrode any rational thought. She squeezed her thighs against Elsa's head as her body tensed, getting ready to release.


	4. Wait, what!

"Oh, yes! Oh, Elsa! Elsa… Elsa?!"

A foot collided with Elsa's chin and she jolted and sat up too fast, forgetting where she was and smashing the top of her head hard against the underside of the table, knocking her abruptly back to the real world. Biting her lip and cursing under her breath, Elsa rubbed her head and glanced up to meet Anna's puzzled face peeking down at her.

Elsa had been so quiet and under for so long that Anna had thought her sister must have fallen asleep. Then she felt a strong, chilly breeze that came from underneath the table, causing her to shiver. Moving in her seat to investigate what was keeping Elsa, Anna shifted her legs a bit and her foot collided with a soft mass, which turned out to be her sister. Realizing this, Anna ducked her head under the tablecloth and started to apologize for hitting her, but she noticed right before Elsa's startled and confused expression showed up how she seemed to be staring off into space.

"What's taking so long down there? Are you lost?" Anna asked, semi-seriously.

Disgusted with herself, Elsa scrubbed the drool from her mouth using the back of her hand and hastily crawled out from under the table, mumbling incoherently as she stumbled to her seat.

Anna noted her empty hands. "No fork?"

Elsa shook her head and trained her eyes on her plate, not trusting herself to look at her sister with her mind astray with peculiar thoughts. She kept her gaze down and watched as her steak and eggs became hard as rocks as frost swiftly engulfed them.

"Shall we ring for a new one?" Anna asked, her hand hovering over the polished brass bell beside her plate that would alert a servant they needed assistance.

Pushing aside her plate of food that was now inedible after having been frozen over completely, Elsa grunted out, "No. That won't be necessary." She cleared her dry throat. "Uh… would you excuse me? I have to… use the bathroom."

"Oh, sure." The two words barely left Anna's mouth before Elsa dashed out of the dining room quick as a lightning bolt. "Oookay then." Clearly she had to go super badly. The princess speared her fork into a piece of egg as she considered how embarrassing it would be if the queen soiled herself. Yeesh! She sincerely hoped Elsa made it in time.

While Elsa was gone, Anna finished her breakfast, cleaning every last crumb off her plate. She was still surprisingly hungry and figured all the excitement from last night made her work up a big appetite. She stole a glance at Elsa's plate thinking she'd steal a sliver of steak, and was bewildered to find her food was all iced up. "Weird." She had felt the room get chilly more than once but she didn't think the cold was extreme enough to freeze anything.

The real question was why did it get cold in the first place? Elsa had gotten so good at controlling her powers, at least as far as Anna could tell. Something must have upset her pretty badly for it to slip out unchecked. Anna wondered if it had anything to do with her accidentally saying sex. Elsa's initial reaction at the careless slip-up certainly appeared like it upset her tremendously. Or maybe she was over thinking it and Elsa was simply uncomfortable because she had a severely bad case of gas. It would explain a lot.

But the more Anna really thought about it, the more she realized Elsa hadn't looked uncomfortable or upset. Elsa had looked down right terrified. And really, what respectable queen wouldn't be terrified of passing gas in front of others, even if it was only in front of family? _That's got to be it_, Anna convinced herself. There was no other conceivable reason that Anna could think of that would cause her sister to react so coldly.

Satisfied that she figured out her sister, Anna rang for a servant and had him clear the table. "And could you bring out some chocolate? Or better yet, if you so happen to have any krumkake available…?" Eyes hopeful, she batted her eyelashes and clasped her hands together as if praying to the dessert gods above to grant her the pleasure of tasting the deliciousness she craved. Her mouth watered when she thought about biting into the cookie's waffle exterior and tasting the sweet filling hidden inside that would flood into her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Princess Anna, but… there's no krumkake available at this time. I can bring you some chocolates, however," the servant said. Truthfully he wasn't sure if there was any krumkake in the kitchen. He was told by the kitchen hands not to mention the word around the princess after she almost destroyed the kitchen one day in her search for the dessert. If any did exist inside the castle, it was sure to be locked up tightly.

Disappointed, Anna nodded and the servant exited the dining room. It wasn't long before he returned with a platter stacked high with an assorted arrangement of chocolates. There were big ones, small ones, dark, light and white ones, nutty ones and those without nuts. Anna plucked one off before he could set it on the table and tossed it into her awaiting mouth. _Mm. Hazelnut_. She smiled her thanks and he bowed and left.

The mountain of chocolate was considerably lower by the time Elsa returned minutes later. She apologized profusely for her abrupt departure.

Anna shrugged indifferently. "When nature calls, what can you do?"

"Yes, well." Elsa avoided her eyes and busied a hand by grabbing a few chocolate morsels. "So…" She didn't know what to say, her mind a total blank.

"So…" Anna parroted, equally as lost. She remembered what they were talking about before Elsa lost her fork and returned the conversation back to it. "So you asked me about the sex-uh… SETS." Anna gritted her teeth and cursed herself for slipping again.

Elsa clenched her hand, crushing the chocolates so they became one messy brown glob in her palm. She must be losing her mind, imagining her little sister doing and saying all these naughty things. "The sets… right. Um… No. I meant the masquerade ball itself." She fumbled for a napkin and wiped her hand clean and casually asked, "Was it to your liking? Did you have a good time?"

"You have no idea." Anna smiled broadly and sighed happily. The smile trickled off her face quickly when she realized she would have to explain what she meant. Elsa's curious expression certainly was asking for her to elaborate. Anna didn't trust her mouth and mumbled, "It was more than I expected." She thrust a large piece of chocolate hurriedly into her mouth, buying herself some time. During the time it took to slowly chew and swallow she formed words in her head that wouldn't sound ridiculous. "I mean, I really loved it. I had so much fun. All the people and the outfits and the… the… beautiful sensations." Anna wished she had powers like Elsa at that moment because at least it would cool her flushed cheeks. "What about you?"

Elsa reached for her glass of orange juice, which miraculously hadn't become a giant ice cube from earlier. "Beautiful sensations, huh? That's a good way to put it," she said quietly, too low for Anna to hear. It was an odd choice of words for Anna to say though and she wondered what she meant by them, but she refrained from questioning further. She took a hearty drink from the glass and dabbed at her mouth with the clean side of her napkin and said out loud, "I don't think I've ever had as much fun before, that is, besides whenever I'm with you, of course. I want to thank you for coming to me with the idea, Anna." She teased, "It's the best one you've ever come up with."

"Nah, my best yet has to be building snowmen," Anna joked, winking.

The queen's heart fluttered. _Why do you do this to me?_ Elsa smiled warmly at Anna and said seriously, "I love you." _More than you will ever know and in ways you would never imagine_, she thought. She raised the orange juice to her lips.

Anna struck a pose. Turning sideways, she balanced in her chair on her butt and raised one leg as high as her dress would allow. Coquettishly she said, waggling her eyebrows, "But of course, what's not to love?" _Okay, I did not intend for that to come out quite like that_, she thought, wincing internally.

Elsa was in the process of drinking her juice when Anna made her move, the action causing her to suck in air at the same time the juice entered her throat, which resulted in the liquid going down the wrong tube. Face crimson, what orange juice remained in her mouth propelled forcefully outward and splattered everywhere as Elsa choked and hacked uncontrollably. More juice spilled across the table as her hand knocked over her glass on its way to grabbing her throat.

Terror overcame Anna. _Oh my gosh, I'm killing her!_ she thought. Frantically, she jumped to her feet to assist her sister. Her foot caught on the edge of her dress as she took a step and moved forward. The trapped foot versus her momentum forward caused her upper body to pull downward and Anna tripped, arms spinning wildly as she tried to regain her balance, failed, and found herself kissing the floor for the second time in one day.

The sight of her sister sprawled on the floor in such a comical way intensified Elsa's coughing fit before it transformed fluidly into laughter. Her arms wrapped around her midsection and she doubled-over as the laughter rocked through her so hard that tears streamed down her face, squeezing out from her tightly shut lids.

Anna's ears perked up at the new, pleasant sound and she lifted her head to witness for herself the turn of events. Relief flooded through her knowing that her sister was no longer choking to death. But she couldn't rule out laughing herself to death just yet.

The sound of her sister's laughter was music to Anna's ears. Hearing her laugh out loud was a rare treat and Anna basked in its beauty and pure sweetness. Normally when Elsa laughed she'd cover her mouth with her hand to control the volume and muffle the sound, embarrassed at her loudness. Anna hated when she did that and always wanted to yank the offending hand away, to allow the sound to be free as it was meant to be. She wished she could capture the moment forever somehow so she could replay it repeatedly whenever she wanted to hear it. Anna would play it endlessly.

The queen tried to speak. "An-oh…. Ah.. aight?" Her stomach ached from laughing so uproariously. Eventually she managed to calm down enough to help her sister up from her pitiful position, effortlessly hauling Anna to her feet. Holding Anna's hands in her own, her wet eyes radiant and warm, Elsa smiled apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to laugh. Are you okay?"

Anna squeezed Elsa's hands and returned the smile. "I deserved it. I mean, I made you choke. And had the situation been reversed I probably would have laughed too," she admitted. "I'm fine." She used one hand to wipe the wet tear trails that traveled down her sister's face. That's when she noticed for the first time ever the light smatter of freckles along Elsa's cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She felt terrible for not noticing them before, though they were faint and not so in-your-face like her own were. But they were definitely cute. She followed the tear streaks down where they blended into the moistness of Elsa's luscious lips. Her eyes zeroed in on them as her thumb absentmindedly brushed against the corner of her lips.

_That's odd_, Anna thought, feeling a strange pang in her chest. Something about them were so… familiar.

Well, that was a ridiculous thought. Of course they were familiar. She saw them literally everyday! But… she'd never focused on them so intensely before and today they stuck out prominently all of a sudden, demanding her attention. Anna flicked her eyes higher to meet her sister's and was struck with the same sensation with that particular feature as well. She stared long and hard and saw an unmistakable fire growing in those eyes that she recognized without a doubt before Elsa blinked several times as if snapping out of a spell and turned her head away.

There was no question. Anna KNEW those eyes, she KNEW those lips.

"Oh…" The color drained from her face and her breakfast lurched in her stomach. The floor beneath her wavered and she gripped Elsa's arms tightly to prevent herself from falling.

Elsa instantly noticed how suddenly pale Anna was. "Anna?" she said concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Anna swallowed heavily. "Um…" Her hands were shaky and sweaty. She let go of her sister and wiped her hands on her dress, backing away to put some space between them.

Her older sister stopped her from retreating as she gently cupped her chin and forced her to look at her. "You don't look well," Elsa commented, her blue eyes examining her intently.

_Oh, dear._ Anna laughed nervously under the scrutiny, feeling lightheaded. The room spun and her mouth opened as if to say something but her legs gave out on her instead and she fainted.

"Anna!" Elsa moved fast, grabbing her around the waist and holding her close, preventing her from dropping like a sack of potatoes. She lowered her to the ground, cradling her in her arms. "Anna?" Panicking at her limp and unresponsive sister, she noticed the ribbon around her neck and thought maybe it was on too tightly and she'd asphyxiated herself. She hurriedly undid the ribbon and freed it from the princess's neck, unveiling the marks hidden beneath. But Elsa barely gave them a second glance, her main concern on waking up her sister. "Anna!" She slapped the younger girl hard enough to bring her back to consciousness.

It took a moment before the princess was roused. She moaned softly and her eyes drifted open and closed briefly. In that split second, Anna figured out she was on the ground and wrapped in her sister's arms, but she couldn't figure out why. Peering out through her eye slits, Anna watched as Elsa leaned in closer, worry sketched all over her face. A cool hand rested on her forehead. "What did I do?" Anna mumbled absently.

"You scared me!" Elsa sighed with relief and kissed her forehead tenderly. She brushed a strand of hair off her sweaty face. "You passed out," she explained.

"Oh." Elsa was still very close. Anna tilted her head up, minimizing the distance between their faces even more. "Oh…" Close enough to…

Anna's hands came up and locked together behind Elsa's neck and pulled her head down to close the gap between them until their lips squashed together. Caught off guard, Elsa tensed and tried to break away, but she quickly forgot about escaping the deeper the kiss got. Eyes closed, she enjoyed the moment wholeheartedly. The mouth moving against her own slipped in a tongue and sighed her name simultaneously, sending a tidal wave of warmth coursing through her body.

The feeling was short-lived as Elsa snapped her eyes open, remembering where she was, WHO she was with, WHAT she was doing WITH her. And this time she was fairly positive it wasn't a crazy fantasy she was having but she couldn't be sure with the way her mind was acting lately. She jerked away, gasping, and pushed Anna off her abruptly.

Anna was shocked at herself for initiating the kiss, but it had felt like the right thing to do. And it was definitely worth it, until she was not so gently tossed off her sister's lap. Then she realized she probably shouldn't have done it and quickly covered it up by pretending she was still out of it from her fainting spell. She murmured Kristoff's name to make it seem as if she had thought she was kissing him. In reality, Kristoff was nothing more than a good friend to her, but Elsa didn't know that.

"Anna?" Elsa called tentatively, feeling guilty for pushing her away so roughly.

"Oh, Elsa?" Anna pretended to lazily stretch like she just woke up from a long nap. "What is it? What happened?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Nothing," Elsa said quickly. "Come on. I think you had too much chocolate in one sitting and it's gotten to your head... Let's get you up and to your room so you can recuperate."

Anna didn't argue, though the last thing she wanted to do was go to her room and lay in bed when her mind was whirling with the knowledge of what had taken place between them. But she allowed herself to be led to her room by her sister, noticing Elsa took extra special care to avoid touching her the whole way there.


	5. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Elsa sat on a padded bench, her fingers splayed out along the ivory keys of a mahogany piano. Her parents had brought the piano into her room not too long after the accident with Anna and it was a constant source of comfort during all those years of loneliness. Her loneliness was no more now that she had Anna back in her life, but she still kept the piano in her room because she preferred playing in privacy over having a watchful audience. Since her ascent to the very important title of queen there was very little time for her to play anymore though, and when she did play it was usually because something was bothering her and she needed a distraction, something to soothe and calm her troubled soul.

Now was definitely one of those times.

Her fingers were poised to begin playing but they refused to move, uselessly hovering in place just above the keys. No matter how hard she tried, Elsa could hardly think or function properly after what transpired at breakfast. Her emotions were chaotic, unsettled, bouncing from feeling happy, to upset, to utterly disgusted and confused. Pounding her fists against her knees in frustration, she dropped her head on the piano keys, creating a jumbled mess of sound and she couldn't help but think that the disorganized melody matched her feelings perfectly.

What she had wanted to do to Anna under the table… What she had fantasized in great detail doing to her little sister… Elsa groaned with want just thinking about it. Oh, and then there was that kiss! Elsa had no idea how that happened or whether it truly happened to begin with. It certainly felt real but for all she knew it could have been another too real fantasy her mind made up! What was real and what was not? She was losing her sense of reality and that was very bad.

She never had an issue controlling her less than sisterly feelings for Anna while in her presence before. The reason behind the sudden change was glaringly obvious. Elsa had made a mistake by thinking of Anna while with the girl at the masquerade ball, and now she had opened a door that could not be so easily shut. It created a bad situation and made her unpredictably dangerous around her sister.

_That's certainly nothing new, is it?_ Elsa thought perturbed, shaking her head with a slight scowl dragging down her lips. Heaving a loud sigh, she gave up on attempting to play the piano and walked to the window across from it. Leaning her forehead against the glass, she looked out at her kingdom and observed the people of Arendelle going about their business like it was any other day. _Lucky them._

Sighing once more, Elsa looked past her kingdom at the snow-capped mountains far off in the distance. If she looked hard enough she could barely see the North Mountain. Thinking of it made her curious about whether her ice castle was still there. Nestled so high in the mountain, it was isolated from practically everyone since very few were brave enough to climb that far up. With it being so cold and snowy up there, her castle was likely still standing, though how much of it was still intact was questionable.

Why not head out and take a look for herself? Elsa needed to be far away from Anna, at least for a short while so she could expel her thoughts in peace. A little trip up the North Mountain sounded like the perfect getaway. On horseback it wouldn't take her as long to trek up the mountain, and as long as she made the trip quick she'd be back in Arendelle before dark. She was certain the journey there and back would give her enough time for her to get her mind back on track where it belonged.

Changing into attire more suitable for riding, Elsa ventured outside and strode purposefully to the stables where she had the available stable boy ready a horse for her.

After the events that took place during the unfortunate winter fiasco, any time the queen went outside the castle walls she was to be heavily protected by guards, so it wasn't easy convincing her body guards to let her ride alone. She had ice powers and was more than capable of defending herself if necessary, plus she was stronger and smarter than she was back then and she was finally in complete control of her magic, for the most part... She had hiccups every now and then but those mostly occurred when concerning her questionable thoughts about Anna, which was happening more frequently…

Eventually, albeit grudgingly, the guards let her go alone. Elsa made sure before she set off to give strict orders to anyone of importance not to disclose her whereabouts to the princess. She wasn't too concerned about Anna following her since the younger girl was supposed to be resting in her room, recovering from her fainting spell, but knowing how stubborn her sister was, she wasn't taking any chances.

As her horse trotted away, a happy snowman watched her go.

~ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0ox0~

After Elsa took her to her room, Anna waited exactly one minute before walking out. Her legs guided her through the castle halls and before she knew it, she found herself outside in the bright and colorful garden, pacing back and forth in front of the tree where the scene of the crime took place. The place where it all unfolded. She couldn't think of anywhere else to go upon discovering this mind boggling news.

"I kissed my sister… She made love to me," she thought out loud to herself. "We.. Oh my god." It was crazy and so wrong but… it had felt sooo good. But it had been her sister, of all people!

What to do? What to say? Did Elsa know? Her behavior was slightly unusual, sure, but there was no clear indication that she knew about what the two of them had done together. Anna's hand flew up to her throat which she realized was free of the ribbon she'd tied on earlier. Had Elsa seen the marks? Was she aware of how they got there? Anna chewed on her fingernails nervously, knowing she'd suffer with a major case of hangnails later on. She snorted and kicked at a random rock in her path. Hangnails were the least of her worries.

_What would Elsa do?_ Anna wondered, her mind running through the many different scenarios. Would she shut her out again after finding out? Or… would they do it again? The latter sent spine tingling chills of anticipation down her back. She definitely wouldn't complain if that happened…

Rubbing the goosebumps that formed along her arms, Anna debated between the four possible outcomes she had. She could tell Elsa and risk staring at doors again for the rest of her life. Or she could refrain from telling Elsa and risk her finding out at a later time, bringing her back to the door issue. She could decide not to tell Elsa and everything could be as it was pre-masquerade, at least in Elsa's mind. Or she could tell Elsa and… discover new possibilities between them that were never considered before.

Somehow she doubted the last one would come to fruition, considering Elsa was queen and she was the princess and they were sisters…

_Shit, shit, shit_, Anna swore mentally as she continued to probe her brain for a solution.

Her legs complained from her constant treading back and forth with no rest in between and she was starting to create a small trench in the grass. She collapsed to her knees beside a patch of pink and white flowers with beautifully bloomed petals and her fingers absentmindedly stroked across the tops. "What am I gonna do?" she said in a soft sing-song.

Unable to come up with a decision, she sought help from the flowers before her. Anna picked a pink flower from the patch and plucked the petals off of it one by one. "Tell her, don't tell her. Tell her, don't tell her. She loves me, she loves me not…"

Once all petals floated gracefully to the ground and all that was left was the empty stem, Anna rolled her eyes at her patheticness and huffed. The method she was using to make her choice was terribly flawed and childish. Tossing the petal-less stem aside, she clambered to her feet and glared at the tree as if it was the source of her problem. Since it was a witness and played an important part in her intimate moment with her sister, whether it liked it or not, she felt it should take some of the blame. "I don't know whether I should kick you or hug you," she muttered.

"A hug sounds a lot better than a kick."

Anna shrieked in fright and whirled around to face the intruder. "Olaf!" she exclaimed, the shock turning to relief upon finding out it was only the harmless lump of snow and not someone else. She had been so close to knocking his head off. "How- What are you doing here?" She knew it was a stupid question the second it came out of her mouth but she was so startled by his sudden appearance that it was the first thing to pop out.

"Hi, Anna!" the cheerful snowman greeted, waving one of his stick hands voraciously, a big toothy grin spread across his face. In his other hand he held a watering canteen, which he set down. "The flowers were thirsty so I was giving them some water. And would you believe I found a weed growing amongst them? I don't know how it got there but I took care of that pesky nuisance." Above his head floated a tiny cloud that rained flurries of snow down on him. Anna didn't understand how such a small cloud could keep the snowman cold enough to prevent him from melting, but somehow it did. The wonders of her sister's magic.

Glancing around curiously, Olaf asked, "Who were you talking to, anyway?"

"Oh, um…the tree," she admitted. The little guy spent most of his day in the garden, tending to the flowers. He treated them as if they were his children. She knew Olaf wouldn't find her talking to a tree strange at all since he cooed at his flowers all the time. And talking to a tree or flowers wasn't much different than talking to paintings, which she'd had plenty of experience with back in the day. They never talked back.

Olaf looked thoughtful and nodded gleefully. "Then in that case, a hug is definitely in order!" He flung himself against the tree and wrapped his arms as far around the thick trunk as they could go, which wasn't very far. "Hello, Tree!" He sighed happily and released the tree, then scratched at the stubs of hair protruding from the top of his head. "Why would you kick it? What did it do to you?"

If he was asking that then he must have not overheard anything she'd said, thankfully. She had forgotten where she was and had spoken too freely about her intimacy with her sister, and that was dangerous. If anyone other than Olaf had shown up and heard her… well, she didn't know what would have happened but likely nothing good.

In answer to his question she responded with, "Nothing. The tree didn't do anything. I… I was just thinking about my sister."

"You want to kick Elsa?" Olaf asked, confused.

"No! I was… Never mind. I… well, I have something that I need to talk to her about, but it's kind of a sensitive subject and I don't know if I should go through with it," Anna explained with a grimace. "She might… end up hating me." Having Elsa shut her out again would be the worst possible thing to happen and she wasn't sure she'd be able to cope with that.

Olaf clucked soothingly. "I seriously doubt that. She loves you."

Anna wrung her hands together. "So I've been told," she said quietly, digging the tip of her shoe into the rich dirt beneath her feet. But would Elsa still love her after hearing the news? "There's only one way to find out." She pounded a fist into her open palm and said with determination, "I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell her."

"Great! Let's tell her!" Olaf cheered, raising his arms up excitedly, jumping up and down. He stopped and tilted his head. "Wait…what are we telling her?" he asked slowly.

"The truth," Anna answered vaguely. "Olaf, do you know where she is?" Her sister wasn't usually hard to find but knowing exactly where she was would save her the time it would take to hunt her down and prevent her from changing her mind about confronting the issue.

"Yes," he said.

"Where? The study? The library? Her room?"

"No."

Anna dropped to her knees and grabbed the snowman around the midsection and shook him to get the answer she needed out of him quicker. "Where?" She shook a little too hard and Olaf's head plopped off. "Oops, sorry."

Olaf just chuckled. Anna placed his head back where it belonged, giving him a friendly pat. "She went up the North Mountain. I saw her riding on a horse. She was by herself." He gasped, horrified, noticing for the first time the petals scattered on the ground and gathered them up in his hands, frowning. "Hey…"

"The North Mountain?" Anna paid little attention to Olaf and his discovery of the remnants of the flower she'd maimed, deep in thought. It seemed out of the blue for Elsa to go to the North Mountain now when she'd never made a mention or an attempt to go there since the last time, when she revealed her powers to everyone accidentally. At the time she had escaped to the mountain to be alone so she wouldn't harm anyone, and the atmosphere there was perfect if one wanted to be alone. It was quiet and secluded. But why would she want to be alone now? Was it related to her powers again? Was she losing control of them to the point she feared injury to others and was distancing herself for safety reasons?

There was no denying Elsa's powers had been at work during breakfast. The coldness she'd felt, not to mention her sister's frozen breakfast, was proof of that. But it didn't necessarily mean she was losing control. In fact, her powers were kept contained in one area which proved that Elsa was more than capable of directing her icy magic wherever she wanted it.

There was only one other reason she could think of if it wasn't her powers that brought about her sister's sudden trip, and Anna was almost certain it involved her. It had to mean that Elsa knew about them!

Except… if Elsa really knew she'd touched her sister like a lover only could, wouldn't she be more animated about it? It was a startling discovery for Anna, a life-changing experience, really. She fainted, for goodness sake! It was highly unlikely her sister would be as calm as she was during breakfast unless she was oblivious to the truth. Unless… what if it was the kiss that set her off?

Whatever the case, Elsa's ignorance would not be for long once Anna spewed everything out to her. "How far ahead is she?" Anna asked Olaf.

"She set off not too long ago." Olaf eyed her suspiciously, cradling the petals against his mid-section. "Say, Anna-"

Anna thanked Olaf with a strong hug, lifting him off the ground. The petals went flying up in the air and patiently drifted down. One petal landed in Anna's mouth and she spat it out before saying, "I'm sorry for hurting your flower and I promise I'll replace it when I get the chance, but right now I have to find Elsa." She planted a quick kiss on his frozen cheek and rushed off to the stables.

When she arrived at the stables she had a difficult time acquiring a horse. It seemed like everybody was doing their damnedest to prevent Anna from leaving, but she managed to make her escape by creating a distraction, which involved a bucket, the potent presents horses were so generous to leave behind, and a good hurling technique.

When everyone was busy dealing with the poo-tastrophe she'd created, Anna hurriedly slipped reins onto a horse and scrambled onto it without a saddle, having no time to put on all of the proper equipment to make the ride comfortable for her. "Hee-ya!" she bellowed and kicked the horse's side gently, which sent the horse bolting out of the stables. Anna barely had time to grab the reins, nearly flying off the back of the speedy animal as it shot forward. Once she got her bearings, she directed the horse on the right path, in the direction of the North Mountain. Anna gritted her teeth and gripped the reins tightly as her body bounced with each step the beast took, bearing the painful ride, not accustomed to riding saddle-less.

The scenery transitioned from green summer grass to white winter snow as the horse galloped steadily along the sparsely traveled trail up the mountains, although there was evidence of another having recently been in the area. Elsa. She urged the horse to go faster, but the farther they went, the more densely packed the snow became, slowing down their pace.

Anna loosened her hold on the reins, her hands left with stinging indents from squeezing the cord so hard and long. She flexed her hands to bring feeling back into them and turned her mind to focus on how she'd begin her talk with Elsa. "Let's see… Elsa! How are you doing? Nice day for a ride, isn't it? Oh, by the way, we totally DID it together!" She snorted. "No, that sounds dumb. Uh…Okay! So, Elsa, that night in the garden got pretty intense, huh?" She winked and jabbed her elbow as if Elsa were really there.

"Well, that was totally horrendous." Anna growled and smacked her leg in aggravation, but she missed her leg completely and hit the horse instead, hard.

The horse cried out in surprise and stopped abruptly, kicking out. The reins fell out of her reach and Anna's body was thrown forward. She would have gone flying over the horse's head but her arms quickly encircled the horse's thick neck and she clung to the beast for dear life. "Whoa, boy! Er.. Or girl!" The animal did a quick circle, neighing and bucking multiple times. With each jolt Anna felt her hold slipping fast. She continued trying to soothe it, hoping to get the animal back under control, but her words met deaf ears.

"Calm DOOWW- Ow!" Anna lost her grasp and was flung off the horse and tossed into the snow.


	6. Chickening Out

Elsa hummed and rubbed the neck of the horse she rode on as they climbed up the mountain. The ride so far was peaceful and she was enjoying it very much. The serene atmosphere and fresh air did a lot to help clear her head, though it would take more than fresh air to free her mind entirely from what was troubling her. For now at least, the scents and sounds of nature was enough to distract her.

Of course, it wasn't meant to last…

Elsa was listening to a bird chirping merrily from the top of a snow-covered tree when it abruptly stopped as if something had disturbed it. She waited for it to resume, and when it didn't she listened closely and became uneasy, sensing that she was no longer alone.

She heard indistinct shouting and a horse neighing in fright, followed by a thump as if something large had dropped clumsily into the snow. "UGH! Not again!" a loud but all too familiar voice screamed.

Anna, of course. Elsa shook her head and sighed. She turned her horse around and directed them to the scene of the commotion. She caught sight of another horse running off opposite them. She dropped her eyes to the lump semi-buried in a deep snow drift. The lump was Anna and she was struggling to get up.

Anna grumbled, cursing the horse as she wiggled in place, trying to free herself from the snow's clutches. Each time she attempted to push herself up her arms would sink uselessly into the snow, and so she was unable to get leverage to lift herself out. Feeling helpless, she glanced up and yelped, not expecting to see the horse looming over her or her sister on top of it. "Elsa! Ha. Fancy meeting you out here!"

"What are you doing?" Elsa climbed down from the horse.

Anna took in her surroundings. "Oh, I'm… just hanging around," she responded light-heartedly. But Elsa was clearly not amused.

Elsa reached out and grasped Anna's wrist. She tugged, helping Anna out of the snowy bed she made for herself and said tersely, "Why are you following me?" She quickly assessed her sister's body visually to make sure she wasn't injured and fought back a chuckle that threatened to escape seeing her sister covered from head to toe in white powder.

"You're mad at me?" Anna asked warily.

Elsa ran a hand through the front of her hair and sighed in exasperation. "No, I'm not mad." _But I came up here specifically to be away from you!_ "You shouldn't be out here. You should be in bed resting. What if you fainted again? You could have been hurt," she said pointedly, gesturing at the hole Anna's body had left in the snow.

Anna held up her hands to calm her sister. "I'm fine! And this was nothing, trust me. I've fallen from worse heights." She dusted the snow off her arms and the front of her body and Elsa hesitantly helped her with her back, where she couldn't reach. "I just came out here to make sure you're alright. You shouldn't be this far out alone. Not that you can't defend yourself or anything but- ow!" she exclaimed when Elsa swiped a bit too hard around the area the scratches the tree had given her were.

Elsa pulled her hands away sharply and snapped accusingly, "You are hurt!"

"No! I'm not! I'm perfectly fine! My back…it was… it's totally unrelated," Anna explained, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. _Oh, god, just get it over with._ "Elsa, I have to tell you something." She sucked in her breath and gathered the courage she needed to say what she was about to say… and her mind went blank.

"What is it, Anna?"

"Um.. It… er," Anna stammered pathetically.

"Today, Anna…" Elsa pushed, her hands on her hips.

Eventually, actual words came to Anna's head and she let them out before they could disappear on her again. "I know why you came up here. I know what's on your mind." She saw Elsa visibly stiffen and felt the snow beneath them harden suddenly. She tried to take a step towards her sister but her legs were trapped in place and Anna decided it would be best to reconsider talking about that specific subject now when they were in the middle of nowhere. She didn't think anything bad would happen, but she figured it was best to be cautious. "I… I was thinking the same thing you were!" she finished lamely.

"What?" Elsa didn't seem to notice what she'd done to the snow around them and was staring intently at Anna with doe eyes, her breath ceasing.

"The castle of ice!" Anna blurted out. She bent over and tried to wrench her leg free from the snow, but the top layer had turned to solid ice and she would need a pick axe to get out. She continued, "After all this time, is it still there?"

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch forever until finally Elsa let her breath out in one big gust. She saw Anna straining to free herself and realized with horror what she'd done and quickly thawed the hardened snow.

Anna fell backwards, having yanked particularly hard at the very moment the snow weakened. "Oof!"

Elsa looked in the direction her ice palace would be, wanting to visit it but deciding it was best to return home. With Anna by her side and the two of them alone together, she wasn't risking the chance of having another fantasy that felt too real springing to her head. Or another accidental, actually real incident… She mounted her horse and extended her hand to Anna. "Come on. We're going home."

Scrambling to her feet, Anna asked disappointed, "We're leaving? But don't you want to-"

"It's getting late," Elsa said, cutting her off. "You didn't bring clothes suitable for this weather. And besides, we don't need anyone panicking when your horse returns without you." She questioned how Anna made it out this far to begin with. She had made it perfectly clear…

Anna was adamant. "Please, Elsa! We came all this way, and we're literally almost there! Might as well make the trip worthwhile, right?" She had failed at her initial task but the trip wouldn't be a complete waste. While the ice castle hadn't necessarily been on her mind coming up here, she was intrigued to know how her sister's masterpiece had held up. "And as for the cold… I'm actually hot," she admitted.

_Yes, you are,_ Elsa thought to herself. "You are so stubborn," she said to Anna as a small smile slipped onto her lips and she reluctantly relented. "You win." What Anna said was true, though. They were very close and it would be pointless to have gone this far without at least a quick glance. "Come on, princess."

"Yes!" Anna cried happily. She went to take Elsa's hand but stopped halfway there, getting quite distracted. The sun was directly behind Elsa, creating a radiant backdrop for the majestic queen, and Anna couldn't help but appreciate the rare, breathtaking view. She sighed dreamily. There before her was the most gracious, gorgeous, smartest, kindest, absolutely perfect-

"Anna," Elsa said, as the princess grinned stupidly, ignoring her outstretched hand. She snapped her fingers in front of Anna's face and when that got no response she pursed her lips and whistled sharply.

_What an amazing thing she's doing with that lovely mouth_, Anna thought as she tilted her head to the side in wonder.

"Earth to Anna!" Elsa called, waving dramatically. When all her attempts to grab Anna's attention failed she resorted to forming a small snowball between her hands with the help of her powers and lobbed it at her sister. That seemed to do the trick.

The snowball exploded against the top of Anna's head and she realized with a start that she had been openly staring at her sister! She blushed and nibbled on her bottom lip, lowering her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, growing very concerned. "Do you feel like you're going to faint again?"

_That's certainly a possibility_, Anna thought. "No, I'm great! I've never been better! Everything is peachy!" she chirped. She eagerly accepted the proffered hand, leaving no room for arguments, and the queen hauled her up. Anna settled in the space in front of Elsa and her sister's arms encircled her waist to keep her securely in place while her hands held onto the reins. Anna almost jumped out of her skin at the close proximity, from how good it felt. She guessed that Elsa was feeling the same way judging by the barely discernible hitch of her breath when she nestled back against her. And despite the layers of clothing between them, it did little to dampen the fierce pounding of Elsa's heart.

Oh yes, there was definitely something there.

Elsa tried to relax, trying not to let the closeness affect her too much. All she wanted to do was enjoy the moment, knowing it wouldn't last. _Act normal_, she told herself. _It's just Anna. It's just my little sister._

But Elsa couldn't help but think back to their kiss at breakfast, and thinking about it immediately stirred the all too familiar feeling in her abdomen. Afraid of having more unnatural thoughts that seemed so natural to her, she leaned back, putting a few inches between them to give herself some breathing space. She was able to control her breathing and forced her eyes to look anywhere but at the beauty in front of her, which was nearly an impossible task. If her hands weren't so busy guiding the horse with the reins she knew without a doubt they would be on her sister in some way, and likely not in an appropriate one.

How cruel it was that she had come all the way out here to avoid one thing and there it was sitting directly in her lap…

They rode in painful silence. The horse's hooves crunching in the snow with each step it took was the only constant sound.

The tension erected between them was killing Anna and she couldn't bear the silence any longer. She whipped her head around, ready to initiate a conversation, and her twin braids smacked Elsa full on in the face. "Sorry! Sorry!" she apologized hastily. She pulled her braids in front of her to avoid a repeat offense. "I did not mean to assault you with my hair!"

Elsa laughed openly, her breath tickling her sister's ear, warming Anna greatly and causing her to squirm with delight. "It's quite alright."

This time being careful, Anna turned her head to gaze sideways at her sister. "You're the queen," she said brightly, stating the obvious.

"Mm hm," Elsa said distractedly, eyes skimming over Anna's back, wondering what the totally unrelated injury was Anna had mentioned. She couldn't see anything because the dress she wore was covering whatever it was Anna was hiding. But her eyes fell to her neck and the marks she remembered seeing earlier. Now that she was in a calm situation and not panicking over her sister's well-being, she examined them closely. They weren't anything to be alarmed about, she decided. There was no breaking of the skin, just faint indentations that resembled teeth marks.

Teeth marks? That couldn't be right, that couldn't be what she was seeing. If they truly were teeth marks that would mean that someone had left them there. And for someone to leave such intimate marks they'd have to have been uncomfortably close to Anna. Anger welled up inside her along with a twinge of jealousy at the thought of someone touching her sister, nipping at her, claiming her as their own. Snow whipped up and swirled around them wildly as if they suddenly stumbled into a random tornado.

"Whoa!" Anna cried. "Elsa, are you doing that?"

"Sorry." Elsa turned her anger down a notch and the mini snowstorm died. She dismissed the idea of the marks being made by someone's teeth, convinced that Anna was too innocent to partake in such affairs. She decided just to ask about it. "Anna, what is this from?"

"What is what from?" Anna asked.

"This." Elsa brought one hand up and touched the area in question, her cool fingers causing Anna to flinch.

Shit. Anna forgot that her ribbon was gone, the marks no longer hidden. She played with one of her braids, nervously twirling it around her fingers. Should she tell her now? "You..." She dragged out the 'you' and almost left it at that but chickened out and not so subtly changed the subject. She finished with, "…should get out more!" _Coward._ She laughed sheepishly. "I mean to get more sun. To get a tan. You'd look nice with one! Oh, not that you don't look nice the way you are now!" she said in a rush. "You look great! The paleness suits you! But a tan would make you look more beautiful!" She clamped her mouth shut to stop her babbling, knowing she probably sounded like a complete idiot to Elsa.

"Um… thanks, I guess? But Anna-"

Anna straightened up so fast she almost lost her balance and nearly toppled over the side of the horse. "Look! The ice stairs!" she cried, thankful they'd arrived at their destination before Elsa could probe further. She felt Elsa lean forward, and for a brief moment her breasts were flush against Anna's back, her hot breath at the side of her neck. Anna froze in place, thinking Elsa was initiating something between them and her body instantly readied at the thought, hypersensitive to her sister's touch.

But Elsa extracted herself from her spot behind Anna, swung her legs to the side and hopped off the horse.

Wishful thinking… Anna was surprised at how disappointed she felt at that moment and was pissed at herself for expecting her sister to be so forthcoming, especially regarding a highly sensitive subject that hadn't been approached yet. She suspected Elsa had a thing for her. Her body language certainly hinted at it and Elsa had reciprocated the kiss Anna spontaneously sprung on her at breakfast, there was no mistaking that. But truth be told she had no idea what Elsa was truly thinking or feeling, and it didn't matter how badly Anna wanted her to-

"Anna?"

"Right…" Anna jumped down less gracefully. She grabbed the reins. "I'll tie up the horse. You go ahead," she muttered.

The task should have been a simple one but Anna took her sweet time with it. While she tied the horse to one of the smooth, icy rails at the foot of the steps she thought about how to approach Elsa the right way. To get to the truth. And she was convinced there was no right way. But she wracked her brain relentlessly and a glimpse of an idea took form. What if she wrote Elsa a letter? The more she thought about it, the more brilliant it sounded, and as her brain churned up the blueprints outlining how her plan was to unfold, she watched her sister as she approached the first icy step.

Elsa said nothing as she gazed in awe at the palace before her, which strangely appeared to be in pristine condition. The staircase leading to the front doors, once damaged, was like nothing ever happened. Even the balcony, at least from where she stood, appeared intact. Were her eyes deceiving her? How was it possible? She ascended the stairs, her hand caressing the ice lovingly the entire way up. She reached the double doors with its giant intricate snowflake emblazoned on the front and glanced curiously at the door mat beneath her that had an enormous "Welcome" written on it.

_Funny, I don't remember putting THAT there,_ Elsa thought. In fact, the last thing she would have done when she built the place was put an inviting door mat down. It went against what she had originally wanted, which was to be alone so she wouldn't harm anyone with her ice powers. So who or what put it there? She was both eager and hesitant to proceed further, not knowing what to expect. What if there was something dangerous inside?

She placed her palm against the crack between the doors and they opened automatically, as if waiting for her. She barely stepped inside when a large white hand with icicles for fingers encircled her and lifted her off the ground and Elsa found herself face to face with a giant beast that possessed hollow eyes and wore… wait, was that a tiara on its head? Her tiara?!

The hollow eyes inspected her carefully. Then the creature's mouth widened into a huge grin and it rumbled happily and nuzzled her.

"Hello, there!" Elsa managed a feeble greeting, caught off guard by the unexpected meeting. She'd completely forgotten all about the massive snowman and she felt terrible about that because he seemed really happy to see her. Elsa remembered Anna telling her the snowman's name, or at least what Olaf had called him. Marshmallow, was it? At the time, Elsa couldn't fathom how a menacing snowman, something she herself had created to scare Anna away, could be named after something soft, sweet and fluffy. But looking at him now, she saw he wasn't very menacing at all and was quite cute in a weird way.

"Momma!" Marshmallow bellowed in response, showering her face with icy spittle that ricocheted off her face and plinked against the floor below. Marshmallow let her down gently, still beaming, and opened his arms grandly. "Home!"

"Just visiting," she corrected.

Suddenly the snowman's expression transformed into one of anger and Elsa thought it was because of what she'd said until she noticed he was not actually looking at her but at something behind her. She turned to see what had upset him just as Anna entered the castle, trailing behind after tying the horse securely.

Anna immediately spotted the unmistakable hulking figure and came to a screeching halt, distinctly recalling their last encounter.

_"DON'T COME BACK!"_

_"We won't!"_

"Shit," Anna whispered.

Marshmallow was clearly not enthused to see her again. Anna gulped and willed her legs to run but they refused to obey her so she braced herself for the worst, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her breath. The ground shook as the giant snowman lumbered towards her. But instead of being smashed into a pancake like she envisioned, she felt warm arms wrap around her protectively. Daring to peek out from beneath her eyelids, she found Elsa was embracing her tightly and she relaxed against her sister, feeling absolutely safe, knowing no harm would come to her while Elsa was around.

"Marshmallow, no!" Elsa said sternly, shielding Anna from him. If necessary she wouldn't hesitate to melt the snowman into a puddle but she sensed the big guy would listen to her. "Whatever happened in the past is behind us. It's okay now. We're okay," she said soothingly. "Let's all be friends."

Marshmallow towered above them and appeared to mull the news over. He folded his thick arms and his mouth formed into a pout, or what Anna assumed was considered pouting for a snowman of his kind. To her it appeared more like a grimace. "Snowball," he grumbled, pointing accusingly at Anna.

The comment puzzled Elsa. She looked to Anna for explanation, relinquishing her from her grasp.

"I'm not certain but I think he might be referring to when I threw a snowball at him," Anna said, frowning. "It was a heat of the moment thing but it was totally justifiable! I mean, you had kicked us out and instead of walking us out nicely he literally threw us like we were garbage. It was rude, and of course I was angry so… I threw a harmless snowball at him," she explained, defending her action. She wanted to add that it was her most impressive snowball throw ever but doubted either of the two in her presence would care about that small detail and she wasn't one to brag.

The snowman huffed, agitated. Elsa tapped her lip thoughtfully and said, "I think he wants an apology."

Anna sized the snowman up. "What?" she asked flabbergasted. What Elsa was suggesting was ridiculous. "You want me to apologize for throwing a snowball at a snowman?" She placed great emphasis on the word snow before ball and man. "He's made of snow and ice! You can't seriously tell me that a tiny snowball-"

"Anna," Elsa warned.

"He should be the one apologizing!" she declared angrily.

Marshmallow roared at her, expressing his displeasure.

Anna threw up her arms in defeat. "Okay! Fine!" Pointless as it was, she figured it was best to have Marshmallow on her good side. She lifted her chin and met his eyes. "I am very sorry… for throwing a snowball at you. I didn't know it would affect you so badly. Really. I apologize. I hope you can forgive me."

The giant snowman nodded after she finished, showing his acceptance and backed off. His smile returned. "Friends!"

"Yeah, friends," Anna agreed, rolling her eyes. She was afraid Marshmallow was going to snatch her up and hug her to death now that they were 'friends' but thankfully he remained where he was. She stuck her tongue out at Elsa, unhappy that she had forced her to apologize. Anna wasn't mad, just more than slightly annoyed.

Elsa snickered at her sister's expression. She composed herself and for the first time since entering the ice palace, really got a good look at her surroundings. "Wow." She was astounded by what she saw. When she had built the place it had been devoid of any items, totally empty except for the frozen fountain and the grand staircase. But now it was fully furnished with chairs and tables and other knickknacks, and everything was literally made out of ice. "Who did this?" she whispered.

Marshmallow puffed out his chest proudly and thumped his fist against it.

"Huh. Wow. Who'd have thought a big snow monster would become such an excellent interior decorator!" Anna commented.

Elsa continued the tour upstairs. As she suspected while viewing the area from outside, all the damage done during her fight with the Duke's men was repaired, with no sign of a struggle having taken place. The smashed chandelier that she'd barely dodged being crushed by was gone and a new one hung in its place, sparkling brilliantly. This floor, too, was furnished, with a dresser, a vanity table, and a king-sized bed. There was a connecting bathroom with a toilet and tub, as well. Whether they actually were usable, she wasn't sure.

She opened the doors leading out to the balcony and surveyed the beautiful sight of the much smaller surrounding mountains below her. It was so quiet and calm up here and she loved it. If she could she would have stayed longer to admire the view, but looking up at the darkening sky and the dipping sun, she knew they'd have to start heading back home very soon.

While Elsa roamed upstairs, Anna remained on the ground floor, engrossed in the icicle-framed artistic pictures on the wall. They were ice slabs with designs chiseled onto them and they were magnificent! She paid little attention to the ice furniture. As a child she'd built furniture out of snow plenty of times, and while it was in no way comparable to Marshmallow's perfect craftsmanship, when it came down to it there wasn't much to look at. It was just furniture made from ice. The ice pictures on the walls, on the other hand, were unique and much more interesting. She wandered from picture to picture, hands behind back, examining each with amazement. There were pictures of animals and flowers and trees, and they were each so incredibly detailed. She was blown away by the superb quality. "You did these?" she asked the snowman.

He grunted and bobbed his head once. The tiara balanced on his big head, which Anna took notice of for the first time, remained perfectly in place.

Choking back a laugh at the ridiculousness of seeing the monster wearing a crown on his head, she blinked at him in surprise, finding it extremely hard to believe that Marshmallow, with his huge, spiky fingers, could be capable of creating something so delicate and beautiful. But the snowman had no reason to lie so she had no reason to doubt him. "Impressive," she said, envious, wishing she had a skill as awesome.

Anna stopped in her tracks. One picture in particular captured her full attention and took her breath away, and there was no question why that was. This one featured Elsa. Elsa in all her beauty and glory, braid down and swooped to her front, dressed in her famous ice gown with her hands clasped at her waist. A confident smile graced her lips and one eyebrow was cocked, giving her an alluring presence. Somehow, despite the carving being almost entirely white with a faint tint of blue due to being created solely out of ice, it still popped out and looked so life-like.

Anna was so focused on the picture that she was unaware of the table she was hovering over, which just so happened to have a nice glass-like vase complete with glittery flowers, all formed from ice, perched on top. She stood on tip-toe in an effort to get a closer look at the picture and slipped on the ice under her feet. She instinctively reached out for anything in order to stay upright on her two feet and her hands found the edge of the table. With all her weight pushing against it, the table slid smoothly away from her, allowing her to crash to the floor, and bumped against the connecting wall. The vase, unsurprisingly, toppled and broke into small shards that skittered in multiple directions across the floor.

"Shit." Anna checked to see how Marshmallow was taking the breakage. Judging from how actual steam rose from the top of Marshmallow's head and the way he stalked towards her in an unfriendly manner, she guessed he was pretty enraged. "Um… I'm gonna go," Anna said meekly, scampering to her feet. She spun around and came face to face with a spiky wall of ice that suddenly burst from the ground. "Or not."

Elsa came to her rescue just in time. She was descending the stairs when she heard the crash and witnessed the spikes protruding from the ground to block Anna from escaping. Her feet slid across the icy floor and she skillfully inserted herself between the two, raising a hand to hold Marshmallow back from making any more outbursts directed at Anna. "Whoa! Relax, big fella! Don't worry! I'll fix a new one."

With a twist of her hands, in no time she had a replacement vase and a bouquet of crystal-like flowers formed that were just as beautiful as the ones that preceded them. As Marshmallow examined her creations, Elsa pulled Anna close to her side and dragged her to the entrance. "I think it's time we left."

Anna didn't argue. The sooner she was away from Marshmallow, the better. But… she glanced longingly at the picture of her Ice Queen. "You don't suppose he'd let me keep a souvenir, do you?" Elsa shot her a look that basically said she lost her mind. "Okay! Never mind. Let's go!"

What was the point of having a mere picture, no matter how awesome it looked, when she had the real queen? Plus it was made out of ice and would melt upon returning to the Arendelle castle anyway, she reminded herself.

Elsa said goodbye to the snowman and promised him she'd visit again, likely without Anna next time to avoid any further altercations between the two. Marshmallow flexed his fingers in a gesture of goodbye as they hurried away. Once they safely reached their horse at the foot of the stairs they both burst out laughing.

"Anna, you are such a klutz!" Elsa said between her gasps for air. "I can't take you anywhere!"

"I know! I'm sorry! I wish I could be as graceful as you," Anna complained somberly.

"But I love that about you," Elsa said cheerfully, nudging her with her elbow and giving her a playful wink.

Her heart skipped a beat. Anna raised an eyebrow. "Really? You do?"

Elsa smiled charmingly. "Yes. I mean it. I wouldn't want you any other way."

Interpreting her words in another way, Anna smirked and turned her back on Elsa as she swiftly untied the horse and said quietly, "Oh, I wouldn't bet on that…"


	7. Love Letter

_Dear Queen Elsa of Arendelle,_

_You don't know me. Well, actually, that's not true. You do know me! In fact we see each other everyday and-_

"No." Anna sighed heavily and snatched the piece of paper she was writing on off the table and crushed it into a messy ball, tossing it unceremoniously over her shoulder to join the numerous crumpled balls of paper that were growing at an alarming rate around her.

It was past midnight and she was sitting in the library trying to conjure up a decent letter. It was to be a letter expressing her feelings for Elsa but she had to word it properly and make it so Elsa wouldn't immediately guess or know who it was from. The problem was, every attempt she made had her name written all over it. She had figured she'd wing it and write what came to her mind, but when she put her thoughts to actual paper it turned out to be a chaotic mess. She churned out failure after failure after failure.

She needed to get it right.

Anna set down the quill and stretched. Her bones cracked, reminding her that she hadn't moved from her position for hours, so intent on writing was she. She was tired and very hungry, her stomach rumbling loud and clear, expressing how angry it was for being neglected so long. Her legs tingled as if stabbed with thousands of tiny needles and she slapped the feeling back into them while she surveyed her mess.

"Oh damn," she said frowning at her carelessness. All around her was evidence that needed to be disposed of immediately.

Anna gathered the paper balls into one enormous pile by the fireplace. Sitting lotus style on the floor in front of the crackling flames, she threw her collection of balls into the heat one by one and watched as they were consumed greedily. The last ball disappeared into the fire and she leaned back on her hands and contemplated on whether she should take a break. Her stomach certainly would hate her less if she gave it something, even a piece of chocolate. The kitchen would be empty, the servants having long retired to their rooms, so she'd have no issues pilfering something if she so desired. Perhaps she could even hunt around for some krumkake?

No, she decided. She couldn't take a break just yet. Not even the possibility of krumkake could remove her from this important task. Anna rose from her spot on the floor and returned to her seat, picking up the quill and rolling it between her fingers as she stared at the new blank page before her. She dipped the quill into the inkwell and pressed the newly inked tip against the paper, marring its cleanliness. This time she took the time to think about the words she wrote instead of carelessly scribbling the first thing that came to mind.

_Hello,_

_I write this letter to be read by the beautiful Queen Elsa of Arendelle's eyes only._

Anna chewed on the inside of her cheek. Well, it was a start and sounded better than the way she started her previous attempts. She continued on.

_I cannot tell you my name but you will learn it in time._

_I know you and you know me. We realized each other one special night, a night that I hope you think back on as fondly as I do. It was the night of the masquerade ball that you were so generous to throw at your residence. It's a night that I shall always cherish, because it is the night I got to experience what it feels like to be in the arms of an angel. _

_That angel was you._

_Being with you that unforgettable night has opened my eyes and greatly lifted my spirits. It's made me hopeful of the future ahead. I feel you should know that even before out intimate time together I have always admired you. You've always meant the world to me, now even more so. _

_Your laugh is like sunshine. When unleashed unbridled in its full glory it showers all who are lucky to experience it with a wave of happiness._

_Your hair is fair and soft as an adult swan's down. I dream to run my hands through those strands. I cry inside when they are restrained. Hair as beautiful as yours should be allowed to flow freely, much like a bird should not be caged so it can spread its wings and fly._

_Your skin is flawless and smooth as the ice you're able to create so effortlessly, but lacking the coldness, instead radiating comforting warmth. How I wish more than anything to feel that wonderful warm skin against my own, without the presence of clothes in the way. _

_Your eyes_

As she progressed with her letter, thinking of her sister's features and all that was great about her- and when it came down to Elsa, who was clearly the epitome of perfection, everything about her was great- a growing pressure built up between her legs, distracting her from her work. Anna squeezed her thighs together. She was amazed at how turned on she was at the mere thought of her sister, believing that actions more than pictures or words could excite her that way.

When Anna was a teenager she had discovered the secret raunchy section in the library and indulged in reading those kinds of books, enjoying the sensations the words brought to her body. But over time those feelings lessened and died down until the magical words that once stirred her body into action no longer held any power and were just words in a book, her body desensitized to them. After that, only her dreams awakened those urges in her, and she was never fully aware to actually enjoy the feelings, nor could she remember every detail about the particular dreams in question. The little details she did remember usually involved a prince charming and often ended hot and heavy, causing her to wake up in a sweat.

Anna's eyes widened, a realization dawning on her. In her dreams the princes weren't always princes. In fact, more often than not they were princesses. Princesses that usually possessed qualities of her sister. She remembered waking up after having those specific dreams, pondering the meaning behind them. She had chalked it down to the fact that she had seen so little of Elsa back then and it was a way of coping. Was she subconsciously trying to tell herself she wanted Elsa in more than just a sisterly way even then? Was she that naive to see it?

I see it now, she thought with a chuckle. She dropped her eyes to her letter and was very satisfied with what she saw so far. Unfortunately, if she didn't quench the urge that plagued her body she wouldn't be able to finish it. She placed the quill flat on the table and reclined in her chair. Anna's hand ducked under her dress and traveled into her panties while her other hand glided into her top.

* * *

Elsa headed toward the library with a book grasped in her hand. Her intention was to exchange the current book she had for another. The last few days had left her sleepless and so she hoped to find a good book to get lost in and read herself to sleep. She already had her mind on one book in particular, "The Spanish Pearl." It was one of her favorites. It was an exciting read and she doubted she would ever get tired of it. But Elsa had read it so many times that the cover was starting to fall off, the pages loosening. She would have to see about finding a replacement copy.

She reached the closed library door and twisted the knob, swinging the door open. Elsa entered the library noiselessly, her nose lifting instinctively to deeply inhale the musty smell of books, one of her favorite scents. She noticed the fireplace was blazing and her heart jumped when she spotted Anna at the table. She started to speak, to greet her sister and inquire as to why she was here at such a late hour but she froze, her mouth suspended open when she realized what exactly the Princess was doing.

Anna's eyes were shut, head back, tongue moistening her pursed lips. Her tongue was quickly replaced with her teeth, biting her bottom lip as her hands intensely lavished attention to her nether region and upper body.

Frost spread across the floor around Elsa despite the fact that her face burned as brightly as the fire behind her sister's back. Her right hand twitched reflexively. Why did Anna have to do such a thing in the library of all places? The privacy of her room would have been a better idea, much safer. She crushed the book to her chest to quell her suddenly out of control heart. Anna didn't notice her yet and she wanted to keep it that way, so she carefully and quietly backed to the door, ignoring her brain that screamed at her to stay and watch while her body eagerly agreed. It took great effort to keep her feet moving in the opposite direction, away from Anna. She would not, could not intrude on such a private moment. She wasn't a creeper.

Averting her gaze, Elsa fumbled for the knob and slipped out of the library. As soon as the door was shut she leaned heavily against it, trying to catch her breath and steady her racing heart. The book thumped to the floor and she made no attempt to pick it up.

Despite not wanting to spy, Elsa couldn't make herself walk away and remained plastered to the door. If she listened carefully she could hear Anna's excited breathing. Elsa could picture vividly what she was doing to herself and she desperately wanted to be that hand stroking her center, excruciatingly so. She fought the temptation to barge back in and take charge. She would not lose control.

Conceal it, she told herself. Feel it, but don't let it show.

Her eyes scanned the empty hall. The servants should have retired to their rooms, all of them fast asleep by now. Pressing her ear against the door to listen to the soft sounds coming from her sister, her body quivering with sudden need, Elsa slipped a hand under her nightgown and tended to her throbbing core. Panting quietly, her hand worked herself vigorously and the pleasure climbed significantly. It didn't take long before she exploded, Anna's name flying from her mouth unrestrained as she did so. She would have fallen to her knees if the door wasn't there to support her.

Her shaking body depleted of energy, Elsa waited for her legs to regain the ability to support the weight of her body without the door's help before pushing away and stumbling off to her room in a stupor.

* * *

Anna climaxed into her hand with a shuddering groan and collapsed in her chair. Before reaching her release Anna imagined hearing Elsa call her name, her voice heavy with desire, and it sent her over the edge instantly. Slumped where she lay, waiting for the tremors coursing through her body to fade, fully content now that she'd taken care of the deed, Anna lazily eyed the paper. Sitting up with renewed energy, she picked up her quill and continued her letter where she'd left off.

_Your turquoise eyes are so passionate. I wish to never see them project pain or fear, only unending happiness, love, and desire._

_And last but never least, your lips. Tender, and promising a world of indescribable pleasure, I ache to feel their caress once more upon my own._

_I know you are reading this and trying to make sense out of it. I know it's a lot to take in, and quite frankly, this isn't something that can be said through a piece of paper alone, which is why we need to meet face to face. Meet me by the large tree in the royal garden at midnight on the day you receive this letter._

_I look forward to seeing you._

How should she sign it? Anna nibbled the feather of the quill, thinking, and made a face at the nasty, dusty taste left in her mouth. Admirer? Lover? She decided on the latter and signed it at the bottom of the paper, adding the word secret in front of it.

Anna scanned her letter and wondered if it was too much or too corny… But it came from her heart so she left it as it was for now. Her handwriting was sloppy and was unmistakably Anna, but it was only a rough copy. With the real copy she would take extra special care to make sure her handwriting was as neat as the print from a book, or at least close to it. Before that happened she'd have to do some revising, but her drooping lids were telling her it was time to quit for the night. She'd put the finishing touches on it tomorrow.

Folding her letter neatly, Anna stood and tucked it safely under her arm and put out the fire in the fireplace. "One step almost complete," she said. But the letter was undoubtedly the easiest part. Actually meeting with Elsa face to face would be the hard part. The letter was just an excuse to prolong the inevitable.

She walked across the room to make her exit when her foot stepped in wetness, startling her. Confused, Anna glanced down and saw that the floor had mysteriously formed a decent-sized puddle of water. She didn't remember it being there before and she had walked in the exact same spot earlier. So where did it come from? Anna then noticed that the water left a trail and disappeared under the door. Determined to find the meaning behind this strange happening, Anna strode up to the door and threw it open.

The floor outside the door was dry, much to her surprise. Anna scratched her head with puzzlement and cocked her head as her eyes fell to a book that looked to have been thrown carelessly on the floor, the book facedown with the pages splayed out messily. She bent over to pick up the book, wondering how it got there. It didn't just jump off a shelf and walk out, though she couldn't rule that possibility out entirely. If snowmen could come to life magically, who was she to question a book doing the same thing? The difference was that the snowmen had Elsa's magic to bring them to life. She doubted the book was so lucky, so someone had to have dropped it there, but who? And why leave a puddle behind and not clean it up?

Anna looked behind her, back to the puddle in the library. What if something hadn't spilled there? What if something melted? Like… ice? And there was only one possible way for ice to mysteriously appear out of nowhere. That meant that…

"Oh, my god." Suddenly the puddle's presence was no longer a mystery. Elsa had been there! And if Anna didn't notice her sister come into the library, that meant she was too busy… She blushed profusely, knowing that Elsa had walked in on her masturbating. But she found she wasn't embarrassed by this discovery. It was rather exciting to know.

Anna kept the book with her as she headed back to her room, pausing briefly outside Elsa's door. She smiled and contemplated slipping the book under the door, as if to say "I know you were there" but she decided against it. She entered her own room and placed the book on her bedside table and hid her letter under her pillow before changing into her nightgown. She crawled into bed, pulling the covers over herself, ready for sleep to take her.

But… she jolted back into a sitting position as a thought struck her.

She had thought Elsa shouting her name was planted in her head courtesy of her brain, but what if it wasn't her imagination after all? Since there was undeniable evidence that Elsa had been there, it could mean that she had actually cried out Anna's name herself. It was certainly a promising thought and it gave Anna hope that the possibility of a rejection was nonexistent.

She rested her head against her pillow and snuggled into it happily, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.


	8. A Monster Unleashed

Anna was looking forward to attending breakfast the next morning, eager to see her sister and study her behavior, to gauge her reaction towards her. She was almost ninety nine percent convinced that Elsa shared the same feelings for her and this time she was ready to pinpoint the signs. After last night she was certain there would be some definite signs supporting her theory. Elsa wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, and for once Anna was happy for that.

She brushed her uproarious hair extensively to ensure it was tangle free and shiny. Then she contemplated on what to do with her hair. Would Elsa like her hair down? Did she prefer Anna's signature twin braids or was that overdone and too boring? She never tried doing it in one braid, should she try that? Elsa pulled the single braid style off amazingly, but then again she was no Elsa. Maybe she would try doing it that way another time, after some practice. Anna settled on keeping it down to avoid any fuss and so she could head down to the dining room.

When she arrived at the dining room she was informed by a servant that Elsa would not be accompanying her, apparently catching up on her queenly duties she'd been neglecting the past few days. The news deflated Anna and she dejectedly took her seat and glowered at the food served to her, hardly touching it, having no appetite. She tried not to take Elsa's absence personal, knowing that what the servant said was true. Elsa had been slacking with her duties after the ball and the days immediately after, but she suspected Elsa skipping out on breakfast had a lot to do with her as well. She didn't know what to think of that.

Well, she wasn't going to let it ruin her day. Besides, she had a letter to work on.

Anna went to her room to fetch the letter, which she had moved to a more secure place after waking up, at the bottom of her underwear drawer, knowing the maids would be coming around to wash the bedding. She stuffed the letter between the pages of the misplaced book her sister had left by the library door the night before, deciding to return it back to its rightful place. It would be useful as a protective case for her letter on her way there in the meantime.

With her letter now in her possession, Anna ran full speed around the halls to get to the library as fast as she could, wanting to finish her letter once and for all. She rounded a corner and spotted Elsa ahead with a large stack of important documents in her arms, talking-no, laughing- with a young, petite woman. Anna hit the brakes, trying to reduce her speed but the smooth, freshly cleaned floor gave her no traction and she slipped as if on ice, and the momentum of her forward motion kept her hurtling straight for her sister. She exclaimed loudly to alert Elsa that she was coming, hoping her sister would react in time to avoid her. Elsa turned her head slightly to see what was going on and her eyes widened at the missile coming her way, her lips parting in surprise.

But it was too late.

There was an explosion of papers as they were sent flying in every direction, thrown free from Elsa's arms with great force as Anna bowled right into her legs from behind, causing her to ungracefully fall flat on her butt with a grunt.

"Oh, god. Oh, geez! Elsa!" Mortified, Anna apologized abundantly and climbed to her hands and knees as paper showered upon them, "Sorry! Elsa, I'm soo sorry! I didn't mean it. Please don't hate me!"

The other woman, a servant of the castle, saw the collision take place and narrowly avoided getting knocked down herself, looking equally horrified and expelling a gasp of shock. "Your Majesty, are you alright? Your Highness?"

Anna nodded in response, assuring the maid she was uninjured, but she kept her attention on Elsa. "Elsa?" Her sister had not uttered a sound or made any indication that she was fine and Anna's concern for her grew rapidly.

Elsa sat where she fell, her hands covering her face, her shoulders heaving up and down. Anna's heart broke. She had hurt her sister. She had been reckless and stupid and made her sister cry. She felt absolutely dreadful at that moment.

But when Elsa moved her hands away from her face she didn't look upset or like she was in pain. In fact, she was glowing, laughter shining in her eyes, mirroring the smile that reached her lips.

"Elsa!" Anna breathed with relief.

"My Queen, are you hurt?" the maid asked again.

"No. I'm fine, Laina," Elsa answered as the maid put her arm around her and helped her stand on her two feet. "Thank you."

Anna rose with them, narrowing her eyes at the arm dangerously wrapped around her sister's waist, holding on a little too tightly and for longer than necessary. She scowled as the hands busily dusted the Queen off, though since the floor had obviously been recently cleaned there would have been no dirt to wipe off.

"Your face, Anna, when you were sliding towards me was too much," Elsa said with a chuckle. "What were you doing? You shouldn't be running around like a maniac. You could have hurt someone," she scolded mildly.

"I was… in a rush to get to the library," Anna said lightly. Did Elsa perk up at that? She tried to meet her eyes but Elsa diverted hers away before they crossed paths. Anna caught the change in color of her cheeks as they turned bright pink ever so slightly and she grinned widely.

"The library's not going anywhere, Anna." Elsa said gently, adjusting her rumpled clothes. "You need to be more careful." She took in the sight of her papers strewn in messy patches around her with dismay. She would need to put them back in order and that would take some time considering how thick the stack was, almost two hundred pages worth of documents she'd need to read over and sign. She sighed, slightly annoyed at the extra unnecessary work that was thrown at her, but her annoyance was not directed at Anna, even though it was technically her fault.

"But I thought you liked my clumsy side," Anna reminded Elsa, raising her eyebrow. "I distinctly recall you saying-"

Elsa matched her raised eyebrow, though she pulled it off ten times better than Anna ever could, and lifted one side of her mouth, displaying a crooked smile that was simultaneously adorable and incredibly sexy. The look drove Anna nuts and she flushed as a pleasant chill crawled up her back. "So you did it on purpose, then?" Elsa asked slowly.

Anna spluttered. "No! I swear, it wasn't intentional at all! I would never risk injuring you. I'll make sure to be more careful in the future to prevent another disaster such as the one that just took place from ever happening again," she promised in a rush.

"We'll see about that."

The three women huddled together and got to work gathering the papers, sweeping them into an unorganized cluster. Laina, Anna couldn't help but notice, was way too close to Elsa for comfort. After seeing Elsa laughing openly with the woman- not that Elsa laughing was a bad thing, but Anna was the only one who ever made her laugh so freely- and witnessing the maid's arm lingering around her waist after helping her up and how she blatantly touched her under the guise of cleaning her off when that was clearly unnecessary, she became acutely aware and suspicious of any further interactions between them. So when the maid's shoulder brushed against Elsa's arm Anna bristled and hissed like a cat, baring her teeth and catching the attention of the other two women, alarm on their faces. The sound even shocked herself. Where had that come from?

Anna covered up her slip. "Paper cut," she lied, lifting a finger as if to show proof. Luckily no one paid too much attention to her nonexistent cut. She went back to collecting the papers blindly as her eyes remained fixed on the maid, unwavering. She watched as the maid's hands fluttered with ease and stacked the papers she picked up into a tidy pile and didn't miss the moment when they bumped into Elsa's hand briefly. It was a very faint, hardly noticeable touch. Jaw clenched, Anna decided to let that slight contact slide and trained her eyes elsewhere, telling herself it was an accidental touch and that there was nothing at all going on between her sister and the maid and that everything before that was innocent and she was making a big deal over nothing.

It didn't take long before her eyes were drawn back to Laina's hands once more. And when contact happened again, fingers against fingers, this time Anna deemed the action as intentional and she reacted instantly, needless jealousy consuming her. What she wanted to do was grab the maid by her loose, blond ponytail and fling her across the hallway. Instead, she shouldered herself roughly between Laina and her sister, snatched the papers out of the girl's clutches and, more calmly than she felt, said, "I'll help with this. You can go.""

Laina was taken aback by the Princess's seemingly aggressive demeanor but didn't budge. "Oh, no, Your Highness, I can't leave such a mess-"

"You are dismissed," Anna said harshly, her anger rising. "Laina," she added haughtily, practically spitting the name out.

Flustered, the maid obliged and excused herself, scurrying off.

Elsa was bewildered by Anna's uncharacteristic behavior. Her sister was always so sweet and gentle to everyone around her. She couldn't recall her ever losing her cool to this extent. Not even Hans faced the fury of this Anna and he more than deserved it. The maid hadn't done anything to warrant such an outburst. What set her off? "You didn't have to be so rude to her, Anna," she admonished. She couldn't fathom any reason for Anna to act the way she did, unless... Sympathetically she asked, "You're menstruating, aren't you?"

The Princess ignored the question and harrumphed as she folded her arms defensively. Part of her felt terrible for being so mean to the maid, and she realized she might have seriously overreacted just a little teensy tiny bit. Or maybe she acted accordingly. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of what happened… Were the touches innocent or were they something more? Perhaps Elsa could enlighten her. "What were you laughing about with Laina?" Anna asked coolly, but she spoke so low that the rustling sound of the papers drowned her words out.

"What? I didn't catch that." Elsa stilled her hands to lessen the noise level. "Speak up, Anna."

"You skipped breakfast," Anna said accusingly, changing the subject, her cheeks puffed out with irritation.

Elsa gaped at her. "Really? Is that what's upsetting you? Anna, didn't you get my message? I have work to do, as you can clearly see," she said, gesturing to the papers around them.

"So? You still need to eat, you know."

"You know, Anna-" Elsa removed a few sheaves, uncovering the book which had been blanketed by the papers. She did a double-take and stared mutely at it as her brain tried to make sense of its existence. She recognized it as the same book she had last night, the one she had planned to return to the library. But she lost track of it after…

"Oh, that's mine." Anna took it and waved it around as she explained, "I mean, it's not mine mine but I have it currently in my possession at this moment in time… I found it abandoned by the library, literally outside the door." Pretending to be stumped by her discovery of it, she said, "An odd place, really. I don't know how on earth it could have got there!"

Elsa swallowed the knot that formed in her throat, feeling as if she ingested a rock, and forced a laugh. "How… strange." How absolutely careless she had been to forget about the book. Given the circumstances she had been faced with at the time, it was unsurprising that a book was the very last thing she would have thought of… but it was no excuse. If Anna suspected even a little that she had been the one to leave the book, she'd put two and two together… Elsa couldn't force herself to meet Anna's eyes even for a second, knowing they and her unavoidable blushing would give her away or cause Anna to ask questions. So she hurriedly scooped up the remainder of her papers, shuffling them into a disorderly pile. "Thank you for your help, Anna. I need to get back to work and straighten this mess out," she said, nodding to the papers in her arms.

"No problem." Anna let her go, smiling goofily as she watched Elsa walk to her study. Remembering she had something to do herself, Anna went to the library. She placed the book containing her letter on the table and sat in the same chair she occupied previously last night. Only a few more touch ups and soon she'd be able to release it into Elsa's hands. How she was going to do that she hadn't quite figured out yet, but she thought Olaf could help her there.

Opening the book, Anna flipped through the pages to locate her letter. She reached the end without coming across it and frowned. She must have missed it. She went through the book again, turning each page, this time at a much slower pace, but again her letter didn't pop out at her. Where was it? Anna was positive she had put it inside the book. It had to be there! Anna repeated the checking process numerous times as anxiety overtook her, heaviness weighing down her stomach. "No, no, no, no, no…." she chanted as her page flipping became more erratic to the point that the pages started to tear.

And still she came across nothing. The book was empty.

"Shit!" Where was it? Anna patted herself down frantically, thinking she might have hid it somewhere on her body and maybe blocked that detail out of her head. She peered into her top and stuck her hand inside, feeling around for the paper.

It wasn't there. It wasn't anywhere. The only other place she could think of was… Anna's eyes widened in realization and she whispered, "Holy flying cheese monkeys on toast…"

Elsa's desk.

The collision had caused such chaos that Anna would never have noticed her letter falling out of the book, and with Elsa's papers in the mix she had no chance of finding it unless she was actively looking for it, which she hadn't been because she didn't know it was missing.

"Shit." Anna swore again, putting her hand to her forehead as she paced, now having to deal with this terribly unexpected dilemma.

She breathed in and out to calm herself. "Okay, this isn't that big of a deal."

Oh, but it was a huge big deal! Though the letter was meant to go to Elsa eventually, Anna hadn't been able to revise or proofread it and it was in quite a messy state, and she didn't want her sister to receive it in that condition. Not to mention Anna had a plan, damn it, and this was not how it was supposed to go!

She had to get her letter back.

**AN: I just want to assure everyone that I fully intend to complete this story. I've had a few people ask me about that and I don't remember if I left an AN, though I think I did... But I won't drop this, even if I start a few new projects. It's ridiculous how ideas just spring to my head all at once and just want to be let out. xD I try to update at least every two weeks. Truthfully, I have quite a few chapters finished but I don't want to rush them out in case there are things I want to change and whatnot... **

**I want to thank those awesome people who have commented, especially those who left one for each chapter I put out. Seriously, you guys are amazing! And thanks for being patient with me. xD**


	9. A Slick Retrieval

Elsa sat morosely behind her desk, already feeling exhausted despite the fact that she hadn't even started working. The documents piled on her desk, treaties, proposals, etc, were all in such disarray that in order for her to even start she needed to decipher what pages belonged together. She sighed heavily and removed the top sheets, examining them. One talked about fish, the other marriage. Nope, those definitely didn't go together.

She was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Elsa?"

Dread filled her. At this rate she would never get her work done. "Go away, Anna," she called. While she loved her sister dearly- way more than she wanted to admit - at times she could be a pest. But it was one of Anna's traits and one she had to endure, along with her clumsiness. She preferred to deal with them another time, however.

"I'm coming in," was the response.

Elsa jumped to her feet to go to the door and lock it to prevent Anna from entering but the door was already swinging open. She cursed herself for not thinking quickly enough and using her powers to freeze the door shut. Plopping back into her seat, she pretended to be engrossed in her work, hoping it would be hint enough for Anna so she would leave her alone. She kept her head down and listened as Anna hesitantly shuffled closer to the desk, unusually quiet. Elsa waited tensely for the silence to be broken with Anna's normal exuberant behavior. When nothing happened, curiosity got the better of her and she finally lifted her head to look at her sister.

Anna held a small tray and a mug in both hands. She presented them to Elsa. "I brought you some tea and cookies. Oh! And a sandwich, too," she added, almost as an afterthought. "Since you haven't eaten and all. It wouldn't be right to have you do all this grueling work on an empty stomach."

Elsa's heart warmed at the thoughtful gesture and she felt ashamed for wanting to shut her out. "Oh, thanks. I knew there was a reason I kept you around," she teased, taking the items from her and setting them down on a clear spot on top of her desk.

"I do have some redeeming qualities. I'm not just a complete disaster waiting to happen," Anna kidded.

Elsa wasn't amused by her joke, taking her comment very seriously. "Don't let me hear you talk about yourself like that again, not even in a joking way. You're… perfect," she added softly.

Anna glowed at the compliment but tried her best at acting nonchalantly. "If you say so."

"I know so," Elsa insisted adamantly, her eyes showing warmth and love and something much more as she finally met Anna's. Anna detected the flash of desire that clouded Elsa's eyes just before she shifted them to the hands she was subconsciously wringing together. Elsa stopped the action when she discovered herself doing it and assigned her worrisome hands the task of picking up the sandwich. "Thanks again, Anna."

That brief glance they shared was all Anna needed to see the love her sister felt for her. Now she was one hundred percent sure about Elsa's feelings. But even so, she still wanted her letter. She still wanted to go with her plan. Her eyes settled on the stack of papers. Her letter was amongst them, but how to find it without arousing suspicion from Elsa? She couldn't very well just start rummaging through the pile.

Anna watched Elsa as she took several hearty bites of the sandwich Anna had brought her before turning back to the documents that needed to be dealt with. An errant crumb clung to the corner of Elsa's lips, catching Anna's undivided attention. Mesmerized by this daring speck, she leaned closer, finding herself incredibly jealous of the crumb, wishing she could be in its place. The lucky little bugger…

Noticing Anna hadn't departed yet, Elsa regarded her with a slight frown. "Is there something else, Anna?"

Both palms flat on the desk, Anna continued her slow forward motion, the strong urge to remove the crusty particle driving her on. She could reach out and wipe it off with her hand but it would be a shame to let the tiny crumb to go to waste. It would take only a second to remove it with her very own lips… or a swipe of her tongue.

Elsa's entire body went rigid as Anna inched her face closer, hanging over her desk, and she blushed at the close proximity and intense stare. Her heart was in her throat, threatening to burst out. She coughed rather loudly and said, "Anna…?"

Anna caught herself, realizing that she was practically sprawled across the desk and so close to devouring her sister's face. She reddened and pushed back heavily, repositioning herself firmly and perfectly straight in front of the desk. She cleared her throat and pointed at the side of her own mouth and said feebly, "You got… a crumb..."

"Oh." Elsa licked at the stray crumb quickly and Anna's fingernails sank into polished wood as her eyes followed the brief flash of her pink tongue. "Thanks."

"Yep." Shuffling from one foot to the other, Anna tapped her finger against the desk nervously. She ceased the tapping abruptly and clasped her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels and started to whistle, which consisted mostly of air blowing from her dry lips. She never quite got the hang of whistling. Maybe she could ask Elsa to teach her some day…

"Anna… can I help you with something? Cause if not, I really need to-"

"Actually!" Anna dashed to the far side of the study where a vacant chair sat and dragged it over, placing it right beside her sister. She parked herself in it and folded her hands on top of one knee and said, "I was thinking that maybe I'd sit and watch you work. You know, to prepare myself for the future. If I ever become… well, not queen cause you'll be queen forever, hopefully. But maybe if you ever need help and stuff. I could totally do that. Help you. With your queenly stuff. You look like you could use the help, you know. And I should be taking on some responsibilities, I mean, you shouldn't be stuck doing all the boring stuff. It's-"

Elsa silenced Anna's rambling by placing a finger against her flapping lips. "Anna, no. You're too distracting."

"In what way?" Anna inquired as her eyes zeroed in on the finger touching her lips. She fought the powerful urge to lick the finger and take it into her mouth. Patiently, she waited for Elsa's answer, already knowing the reason behind why Elsa thought she was distracting but curious to hear what she would actually say.

Retracting her hand, Elsa floundered for an answer. "Because you're… you're Anna. You're my little sister. You're meant to be distracting. It's what little sisters do." But not quite in the way you distract me, she thought. She patted Anna on the back and urged, "Go enjoy yourself, okay? Leave the boring stuff to me and don't concern yourself with any of it. Just keep being you. Just… do me a favor and keep the distracting down to a minimum, okay?"

Anna wanted to drag Elsa down and smother her with a deep kiss for being so damn cute. She leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek instead. "I love you," she said and engulfed her in a crushing hug, resting her chin between the crook of Elsa's neck, a position she found quite comfortable.

The Queen reciprocated the hug with great fervor. "I love you, too." Her hand fondly stroked Anna's long, auburn strands.

A twinge of guilt struck Anna. She didn't want to ruin such a loving moment, and a part of her cried inside for what she was about to do. But the opportunity was too great and she didn't think she'd get another chance, so it was now or never. She pulled back from the hug and gasped dramatically. "Oh my GOSH! What is that!?"

"What?" Elsa looked around in confusion.

"GAH! A bug!" Anna flailed her arms wildly, knocking all the papers off the desk in one fluid swoop.

"Anna!" Elsa cried, jumping up and helplessly taking in the sight of her work for the second time in one day once again a giant mess on the floor.

Anna clenched her teeth and sucked air in between them, wincing. "Ooh. Elsa, I'm soo sorry. I thought I saw a bug but it was just my wild imagination." She laughed apologetically. "You know what? Don't you worry about it." She came around to stand behind Elsa and pushed the tense woman forcefully into her chair. "You just sit and relax."

"Relax?" Elsa said tiredly, the idea of relaxing an impossible dream. She'd be staring at words for hours and hours. Her vision would blur, the words streaming into one big meaningless headache as her hand cramped from signing seemingly endless documents. Yes, the idea of her being able to relax was a fleeting dream, much like how the possibility of her ever spending any time in her little sister's arms was.

Anna nodded even though her sister couldn't see it and massaged Elsa's shoulders and around her neck. "I'll clean this mess up while you take a moment to relax and think of pleasant thoughts. How does that sound?" Elsa's forehead creased as she started to protest. "Stop that or you'll get wrinkles," she chided.

"Yeah, and each one of them will be named Anna," Elsa grumbled, rolling her eyes as she crossed her legs and sat back in her chair. She took her sister's advice and allowed herself to give in, to give up, relaxing against Anna's expert administrations, her nimble fingers coaxing her body into a jelly-like state. Anna increased the pressure, firmly pushing and prodding, her palms kneading the soft flesh that so readily surrendered to her. Elsa moaned and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head lolled to one side, exposing the side of her throat, and she nuzzled Anna's hand unthinkingly.

Any bad feelings Anna felt for pulling her little stunt disappeared, the sight of her sister melting into a pile of mush under her touch right in front of her eyes more than making up for it. Her eyes locked onto Elsa's pale throat and the visible throbbing pulse invitingly presented to her. She licked her lips and found herself drawing closer, wanting to bury her face into that neck, to press her lips against it, to bite it and leave marks of her own on that delicate skin just as her sister had done to her once before. Anna whimpered from the aching need burning within her, a feeling so strong she questioned how she remained in an upright position, how her hands were still massaging her sister uninterrupted without going astray.

Breathing raggedly, Elsa blurted out, "Anna…" Her eyes still tightly closed, she dug her fingers into her own leg as she crushed her thighs together.

Nearly swooning from the heady sound of her name coming from her sister's lips in a way that she could only describe as erotic, Anna hummed in response, "Hm?"

"That… that's enough." If her sister didn't stop soon she would make a complete fool of herself. Anna's innocent massaging was stimulating Elsa to the point where she was already teetering precariously close to release, alarmingly so. There was no denying how fantastic it felt and Elsa wanted it so badly but she couldn't allow it to happen. It was so wrong, too wrong to be worked into an orgasm by her unsuspecting sister's hands. "Please…" she pleaded desperately.

Anna melted at the plea. She noted the drastic plummet in temperature that had been nonexistent seconds before and halted her hands but kept them hovered in position just in case. Her voice, low and husky, murmured, "Feel better?"

Elsa expelled a shuddering breath, and, sounding way calmer than she felt, answered steadily, "Yes, very much so." Her body disagreed with her, screaming furiously at her to finish what was started. She cleared her throat and straightened in her chair, and Anna backed away reluctantly, disappointed. "Thanks."

"No problem," Anna said. She stood dumbly, forgetting what she should be doing next, her head clouded with desire. "Um…"

"My… work," Elsa said pointedly, scanning the documents dispersed on the floor beside her desk.

"Oh... Oh! Right!" Anna snapped back to her task. The letter! "You just sit where you are. Don't move!" she ordered, when Elsa made a move to get up.

Anna rifled through the papers on the floor, positioning herself so her back was facing Elsa. When she found her letter she almost cheered out loud happily but squelched the sound to avoid attracting her sister's attention. Squashing it into a tiny ball, she made it disappear down the front of her dress without Elsa seeing. With that problem taken care of, Anna finished gathering the rest of the papers and, smiling, placed them back on the desk, patting them into an orderly stack. "There!" she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Can you please go now?" Elsa said imploringly. During the time it took Anna to collect her scattered papers, she had hoped her libido would have quieted down, but it didn't. She grimaced with the painful need to pin Anna to her desk and kiss her senselessly, to rub up against her and take her. She thrust her eyes to the far wall and croaked out, "I… really have to get this done."

Anna was tempted to stay and tease Elsa some more, finding it alluring that she had such a strong affect on her through touch alone. Though she hid it surprisingly well, Anna sensed how close Elsa had come to discharging completely and utterly. But she fought it, perhaps even feared it, judging by how cold the air had gotten towards the end, which only ever happened when Elsa was in distress. The room temperature had been fine before that.

Now all the little slips of Elsa's powers lately made sense to Anna. She unwittingly was the cause of it.

"Yes, okay. I'll leave you in peace. I really am sorry for all the trouble," Anna said hurriedly. She planted another chaste kiss on Elsa's burning cheek, lingering for a moment before she turned away and left the study. Only when the door clicked shut did her legs finally give out on her.

**AN: Next chapter the letter will officially be delivered. As usual, thanks to all my lovely readers/reviewers.  
**


	10. Special Delivery (Queen's Eyes Only!)

Many days later, Anna appeared in the royal garden looking for a certain snowman with a wrapped bundle of cloth tucked beneath her arm. She shielded her eyes with her free arm from the sudden brightness upon entering the outdoors, feeling like a vampire. The sky seemed brighter than usual, as if the sun, having been previously blocked by overcast, was making up for lost time. Also her being cooped up in the dark library with no light but a lone candle to see by might have played a part. She had been so intent on working on her letter that she was too lazy to light the fireplace.

There was no denying that Elsa wanted her, Anna knew that. She also knew Elsa feared those feelings she felt for Anna, and she could understand why. They were sisters, that was glaringly obvious, and Elsa didn't know that Anna shared the same feelings as her so naturally Elsa would be afraid of her reaction if she let it show. That wouldn't be an issue once the truth came out, she was sure of that. There was, however, the tiny fact that they were the queen and the princess of the great kingdom of Arendelle, and anything that went on between them in an un-sisterly way would very likely be looked down upon by their people.

Or maybe not? The people were very understanding and forgiving after Elsa accidentally froze the whole kingdom and they accepted Elsa as their queen with open arms. If that hardly fazed them, surely something as innocent as their love for each other wouldn't set them off?

But they would deal with that dilemma once they got to it...

After the mind boggling impromptu massage session, Anna gave Elsa a break from her for a few days, minimizing their contact to get Elsa back into a comfortable state and allowing her to finish her important work without further delay. Meanwhile, she returned to the library to complete her letter, welcoming the solitude that granted her a perfect haven for thinking, among other things.

And now, today, she was ready. Today was the day her letter, her masterpiece, could exchange from her hands to her sister's, but not in the literal sense. Her physically handing it to Elsa was out of the question. She wouldn't even risk slipping into Elsa's study to place it on her desk in case Elsa caught her doing so. That's where Olaf came in and that's why she was currently searching for him.

She heard him before she spotted him. The little snowman was hovering over a cluster of red roses and appeared to be tickling them. "Hello, my pretty ones!" A thorn pricked him and he gasped but then playfully tapped the little bud responsible. "You're so fresh," he stated with a giggle.

"Olaf," Anna called, announcing her presence.

"Anna! How are you?" Olaf asked bouncing up to her.

"Well…" Normally Anna responded to questions like that with the same, easy response. A simple "good" usually sufficed. Quick but simple and no reason to question it. Today "good" wasn't working for her so she answered honestly. "Nervous. Scared." Those two words were understatements for how she really felt, but they did the job.

"Oh?" He looked troubled by her words. "Why? What's wrong?"

He was such a caring and understanding snowman. She wanted to tell him exactly what she was going through. "It's complicated," she told him. She unwrapped the cloth bundle and removed an envelope from inside, then placed the remaining contents that were inside the cloth behind the tree, hiding it. It was her masquerade outfit. She planned to wear it later that night when Elsa came to meet her, IF she came to meet her. That way, Elsa would be unaware of who she was until the big unveiling, whenever that happened. Of course, to prevent anyone from seeing her all dressed up, or risking bumping into Elsa on her way to the garden, she'd need to get dressed in the garden before midnight.

"Olaf, I need you to do me a big, big, big, big favor."

"Sounds big," Olaf said, widening his eyes.

"It is," Anna agreed. She held the envelope between her thumb and forefinger. "I need you to bring this envelope to Elsa. Preferably when she's in her study or her bedroom, but definitely when she's alone."

"Okay."

"I can't stress how important it is for her to be alone when you give this to her," she said firmly. "Also, whatever you do, don't tell her who gave this letter to you."

"Why?"

"Because… I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh!" He inhaled sharply. "Is it a love letter?" he asked dreamily.

Anna gaped in shock. "What? No! It… Maybe?" she squeaked out. "I mean, no! That's silly! It's just… a letter," she said lamely.

Olaf apparently saw through her lie. He took the envelope eagerly and hugged it. "How romantic!" he gushed. "True love will see the light of day!" Anna laughed at his innocence. "Oh, I'll get this to Elsa right away!" He raced away on his two snowballed feet.

"Don't forget what I said, Olaf!" she yelled after him. "And come back to me as soon as it's delivered!"

Once he disappeared from her line of vision she sat against the tree, her special tree, and pondered Olaf's words. "True love… that's right." It was true love that saved her from her frozen doom not so long ago, her sister's true love. Surely true love wasn't something to ignore, to think badly of? No one questioned it then, so why would this be any different? It was still true love but in a more evolved form. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and sighed, resting her chin between the cleft of her knees. She scratched a heart into the dirt with her finger and waited for Olaf's return.

* * *

Elsa sat in her study, her legs propped up on her desk with her ankles crisscrossed. She was leaning back in her chair, a book in her hands, reading… or trying to. Her eyes skimmed over the words and she mechanically turned the page, but none of the words were registering and she had no idea what was going on. Since she wasn't getting anywhere, she tossed the book onto the desk without bothering to save where she left off and raked her fingers through her bangs, puffing out a gust of air tiredly.

How could she concentrate on a useless book when all she could think about was Anna? With every interaction between them she felt herself falling harder and harder. Her dreams, when she could sleep, were getting raunchier, and forget about the growing fantasies that danced in her brain when she was at boring meetings. And now she was at the point where any simple touch from her, an innocent massage even, was driving her hormones wild. She felt pathetic and disgusted with herself. She was almost glad that she'd hardly seen much of Anna in the last couple days. Almost.

First cursed with powers that were beyond her control and now a forbidden love for her sister. No, lust, she thought bitterly. She could not confuse love with lust. What she felt for her sister, what she was dying to do to her, with her, could only be seen as lust. Love was beautiful, sweet, carefree, right. Lust was blinding and painful and-

"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf burst into the study uninvited, giggling uncontrollably.

Elsa removed her legs from their resting place and returned them to the floor, sitting properly in the seat as annoyance briefly flashed across her face. But she saw it was only the too happy snowman and forced a smile. "Olaf, hi." It was strange for the little guy to be this far inside the castle. He preferred the garden and the stables, having an incredible fondness for flowers and four-legged creatures, even though the latter always tried to eat his nose. "What brings you here?"

Olaf raised his arm high and showed her an envelope. "I have a letter for you."

"Oh?" She perked up with interest. "Where did you get that?" All of the day's mail had been brought to her and sorted through already. Had one been misplaced? But why would Olaf be delivering it? "Let me see it." Olaf passed it to her and she glanced at the sealed, blank envelope. There was no name or anything to indicate it was for her. "You say this is for me?"

"Yep!"

She frowned, narrowing her eyes at Olaf. "Who is it from?" she asked suspiciously.

"From the heart, I'm sure," Olaf answered, beaming, oblivious to Elsa's confused expression. "I'll see you around, Elsa! I've got to get back to my flowers. The clouds didn't bother watering them so they're probably thirsty."

"Olaf, wait!" Elsa shouted, but Olaf, with a wave good-bye, had already skipped out.

Alone again, Elsa fingered the seal of the envelope, intrigued by its mysteriousness. Something about it made her anxious and she almost didn't want to open it. She flipped it over from front to back, double-checking for any indication of who it was to or from and found nothing again. It probably wasn't anything important or it would have been addressed to her, so she saw no point in wasting her time on it. Turning in her seat, she went to go and toss it in the trash but hesitated, flicking her index finger against it thoughtfully.

If she threw it away without opening it she would most likely be bothered by it for the rest of the day.

There's an idea, she thought. Wouldn't having a letter on her mind be better than the thoughts of Anna that plagued her?

Tempting as the idea was, the mysterious letter was even more so. And who was she kidding? Her thoughts of Anna were like a drug to her and she was addicted no matter how good or terrible they made her feel. To not think of her, to not have her in her life…

Elsa slid one of her nails along the side to open the envelope, not bothering with a letter opener. She tipped the torn side and poured the letter out. The carefully folded sheet of paper lay on top of her desk, harmless, waiting to be read. She unfolded it and flattened it out on her desk, noticing right away how neat the handwriting was, each letter meticulously penned. It was almost as if the writer took their time with each individual letter to make them all perfect. No one would go through such trouble for nothing of importance. She read the letter, her eyes moving from side to side in rapid succession. As the words sunk in, Elsa's smile evaporated quickly, and her eyes were practically bulging out of her head by the time she reached the end.

"Oh, no," she whispered, fear lacing her voice, a drop of sweat plummeting off her forehead and marking the paper that her hand was curling into a wrinkled mess. Her study was shrouded entirely in snow and ice, from the ceiling to the floor. Despite being inside a giant ice box, the temperature in the room was stifling to Elsa and she lurched out of her seat, feeling as if the air had been strangled from her lungs. Her abruptness on the ice caused her to lose her footing and she slipped, tumbling to the floor in a heap, where she clutched the sides of her head in dismay.

She'd been discovered! The girl knew her identity, knew she was the queen. She sought her out, had sent a personal letter through her very own snowman, with an invitation to meet with her again. In her own garden? Who was this girl who dared to set up meetings in her own castle? Why would she even suggest it? There had to be a hidden meaning behind the words in the letter. The girl was after something, she had to be! She might be planning to blackmail her, or start a scandal her by telling horrible lies. Or even the truth. If her people learned of her little tryst it could ruin everything. She was the Queen, for goodness sake! Queen's didn't do things like that, at least not a respectable one. Elsa cursed her stupidity for allowing herself to indulge in a secret affair, thinking she'd remain anonymous.

Elsa tried to think rationally. Whoever this girl was… she acted as if she knew Elsa well, describing her attributes so eloquently and so… intimately. To have been in her presence for such a short period of time, and with the masks hiding their faces, there was no way she'd know these things about her so well unless it was someone she knew and saw often. Or it was someone who watched her unseen… like a spy, or an assassin.

Elsa stiffened at the unpleasant thought and paled considerably. Oh, god what if she was inside the castle? How else would she be able to plan to meet Elsa at midnight? She leaped to her feet, steadying herself against the desk, breathing hard at the thought of someone potentially dangerous roaming her grounds, bringing danger to her servants, to herself …to Anna.

"No!" Elsa said, sliding across the ice to the door. She needed to question the guards. They would know if any strange people might have entered the castle. She wanted to believe they were adequate at doing their jobs and that someone hadn't breached the walls without them knowing.

* * *

When Olaf returned to Anna and reported successfully delivering the letter to Elsa, Anna thanked him and rushed immediately to the study to see if she could eavesdrop and listen in on Elsa's reaction, if she had one at all. It was a nice, complimenting letter, Anna reminded herself as she arrived just outside the door. Elsa is probably extremely flattered.

"Whoa!" she gasped as a swoosh of frigid breeze shot out from the crack beneath the door.

Or not...

She hesitantly reached for the knob, but before her hand could wrap around it the door whipped away from her and Elsa charged out of the study, panic-stricken, and smacked right into her.

"Fuck, Anna!" Elsa choked out.

Was that an… invitation? Anna's eyebrows skyrocketed and she turned crimson at the profanity that spilled so carelessly from her sister's lips, unaccustomed to it. She couldn't recall ever hearing Elsa speak such language. She didn't think it was even in her vocabulary.

It was evident that Elsa was distressed. Her hands gripped the doorjamb tightly and frost crackled down its length rapidly. Looking past her sister, Anna saw the entire study encased in glistening ice. "Elsa! Are you okay?"

Anna reached out to her but Elsa sidestepped her, evading her touch, and said briskly, "I'm fine."

"Clearly you're not."

"Anna!" Elsa drove Anna back with a firm push against her shoulder and slammed the door closed behind herself. "I told you I'm fine," she said curtly.

"But Elsa-"

"I don't have time for this right now, Anna! I'm sorry." Her last two words as she departed sounded regretful.

Anna stood frozen in place, watching her sister's back as she walked away, purpose in her long strides. What had caused her to freak out? It couldn't have been her letter, surely? It had to be something else. She really hoped it was something else. "Please let it be something else," she thought out loud. Facing the closed study door with her fingers crossed, Anna decided to investigate.

She twisted the doorknob and pushed against the door. It didn't budge. The ice, she realized, must have frozen it shut. Anna backed up until her back was flat against the wall behind her, sucked in her breath and rushed at the door, ramming it with all her weight. It swung open and Anna burst in and lost her legs as they flew out from under her. She hit the floor, landing hard on her back, spread-eagled. "Ow." She tried to stand but each attempt ended with her skittering across the floor, so she awkwardly crawled and dragged herself to Elsa's desk.

Anna heaved herself onto the iced chair behind the desk, gripping the edges to prevent from sliding off it. Elsa was a neat and orderly person and the desk gleaming with ice was tidy as could be, so Anna didn't have a difficult time finding her letter. Especially when it was dead center of the desk, a wrinkled, frozen sheet. There was nothing else around that would upset Elsa as far as she could see, other than a book. Anna snatched the book up greedily and yelped from the sheer coldness of it, juggling it in the air a bit before slamming it down on the desk. She thumbed through the stiff pages, trying to find something in it that would set her sister off, refusing to believe her letter was the reason.

But the book gave her nothing that would cause real concern, and that left no question about the true answer. Her letter was undoubtedly the cause.

"Shit…"

Truthfully, it hadn't occurred to Anna that Elsa would have this kind of reaction from reading her letter. But… if Anna had really thought her great plan through, and she thought she had but clearly she hadn't, she should have suspected something like this would happen. She had basically sent a stalker-ish sounding letter to her sister, the Queen, and asked to meet with her. Elsa, believing it was a stranger, naturally would have freaked upon reading it. Had she known it was Anna that wrote it her reaction would have been more subdued. Maybe… Or she'd freak out in a much worse way, probably cause another Winter fiasco.

"Wow, I'm so stupid," she groaned. All she could do at this point was wait for midnight and see if Elsa showed up at the designated meeting place. If her behavior was any clue, Anna doubted she would show, but she'd be waiting for her regardless.


	11. The Queen's Other Admirer

Elsa scoured the entire castle, covering every area possible, questioning every guard posted and even those off duty, asking if any of them saw sightings of an unfamiliar young woman on the castle grounds. All the guards reported that no suspicious persons had been seen within the castle walls and that everything was quiet. They insisted all was well. She then asked the guard captain what were the chances of someone sneaking in unnoticed and he informed her there was zero chance of that happening, that he and his men carefully monitored every body that came through the gates and the perimeter was secure.

The news should have eased her mind, but it didn't because it left the most important question unanswered. If it wasn't an outsider, who could it be? A servant? It was the only viable option she could see. Returning to the icy enclosure that was her study, Elsa thawed the room with a wave of her hand and paced restlessly in front of her desk with her arms folded against her chest, trying to think. Her eyes automatically fell to the letter sitting undisturbed where she left it, saturated in water, and her heart pounded faster at the sight of it. Slipping into the chair, Elsa shakily picked it up and reread it carefully, hoping to find some clue she missed that would lead her to the one responsible for writing it.

Unfortunately, the letter was vague and gave her zero answers. There wasn't anything remotely useful in it to help her identify who the writer was. All she had to go on was that they apparently already knew each other before their masquerade encounter and that was hardly helpful. Elsa rarely ventured outside the castle walls unless it was absolutely necessary, so the majority of her interactions were with those within the walls.

Leaning heavily on the mysterious girl being a servant, Elsa popped open the lowest drawer of her desk and located the files containing the information of all her current workers. After her decision to keep the gates permanently open for good, Elsa hired a surplus of servants in order to keep every inch of the castle clean and tidy, so the stack she removed was rather hefty. Placing the thick files on her desk with a thud, she released a long, drawn sigh and began sorting through them wearily. To help lessen the pile, Elsa removed the ones highly unlikely to be her mystery girl, starting with the men for obvious reasons, filing those papers back into the drawer without giving them a second glance.

Now what? Elsa thought as she woefully looked at the intimidating stack that remained. Drumming the fingers of one hand impatiently against her desk, her chin resting in the palm of her other hand, held up with the aid of her elbow, she thought back to the night of the ball and tried to remember every single little detail about the girl she could. Considering her face had been covered well by a mask and her hair had been obscured by a feathery hairpiece, Elsa couldn't go by the girl's facial features or much of her appearance in general. So Elsa went by what she did know about her physically, which still wasn't much, but at least it was something. Better than nothing…

The girl was obviously young, very slender and oh so confident. Elsa recalled how she extended a welcoming hand to dance and that devious smile she flashed, and her passionate kisses that literally left her breathless… What a kisser she was, Elsa thought with a smirk, and her lips tingled at the memory of those lips against hers. She closed her eyes to better picture the moment in her head, but instead of the night of the ball, she found herself thinking back to the surprising kiss she received from Anna the morning after.

"Oh, no. Don't think about that. Stop thinking about that," she grumbled, balling her hands into fists. Why was she thinking about that? The kiss had been nothing more than an accident. Anna, delirious from her fainting spell, had mistaken her for Kristoff. Still, that didn't change how amazing it felt and how badly Elsa enjoyed it…

Focus and think about the girl, Elsa told herself silently as she irritably swiped her fingers through her bangs and shook her head sharply to shake the memory of Anna's kiss away, trying to steer herself back on track. Remember how smooth, soft and warm her skin felt. Yes, so pleasant to touch, so warm and inviting… and her smell, when she buried her face into her fiery hair…

"And I'm back to Anna again…" Elsa let out a frustrated groan and palmed her forehead before slamming a fist down hard on her desk. "This is not about Anna!" she said angrily. She had to banish Anna from her mind so she could concentrate and get to the bottom of this… mess she created. Blocking Anna from her thoughts was near impossible for her, but luckily the importance of her task and the pain in her hand resulting from her strike on the desk gave her a temporary reprieve.

Head hurting with the beginnings of a headache, Elsa tried fishing her brain for more memories of her time with the girl but could think of nothing else useful. She had all she was going to get on her, so using that limited information, she perused the papers studiously and painstakingly eliminated her choice of suspects going by their age and weight first. It turned out that quite a lot of the female servants were older women or heavyset, cutting her options significantly in half, making things easier for her. "Thank goodness," she breathed. Once that was taken care of, she took into account those she dealt with on a day to day basis, immediately dismissing the servants she did not encounter at least weekly, since the unknown writer had to be someone she was in contact with somewhat often. Servants she hardly saw wouldn't know her so well.

With her process of elimination, Elsa efficiently narrowed her results until there was one single person remaining… Chewing her bottom lip anxiously, she locked on to the name on the paper in front of her.

_Laina._

Laina was one of the first servants Elsa had hired immediately after the Great Thaw. She was quiet, polite and overall a splendid worker, and because of that Elsa assigned her personally responsible for cleaning her own room because she knew the job would get done right. She was also one of the only servants Elsa saw literally everyday, though after the oddness with Anna she had seen less of her lately.

Could she be the one? Elsa wondered. Admittedly, she was the most pleasant to be around and by far Elsa's favorite servant out of all of them. But she was terribly shy and hardly ever looked Elsa in the eyes, spending more time staring at her feet with her head bowed as if she were being disciplined. The girl from the ball showed no signs of shyness. It was possible that being in disguise had given the maid confidence. Elsa's own disguise had made her do something she never would have dared to do, after all. Maybe that was Laina's case as well.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, especially when she factored in Laina's behavior around her. Elsa had noticed whenever she was in the maid's presence how she always flushed so strongly. The first couple of times she witnessed it, Elsa assumed the girl was afraid of her, particularly of her powers, but then she realized how ridiculous that was because Laina wouldn't have come looking for a job at the castle if that were the case. When the coloring on her face didn't let up, Elsa became greatly concerned for her health and had her examined by a doctor, only to be told the young maid was perfectly healthy.

It never once occurred to her that Laina might have a thing for her…

Putting Laina's file away and closing the drawer, Elsa once again took the letter between her hands and carefully folded the damp, deteriorating paper as she stood, knowing what she had to do next.

She would track down Laina and have a word with her.

* * *

Laina was finishing up dusting the candle fixtures on the walls. She had been diligently cleaning all day, nonstop, and the sweat that congregated on her face, causing her bangs to stick to her forehead, along with the annoying stray blonde hairs escaping from her ponytail that tickled her ears and cheeks, was proof of her hard work. She was about ready to collapse from exhaustion, but she was nearly done, having just one set of candles left to be cleaned further down the hallway. Once she finished with that she would be able to retire for the evening. She looked forward to it very much.

She had fallen behind on her cleaning, hence why she was only now just finishing, but that was partly due to the fact she had to cover for another maid, an older woman named Marisol, after Laina had generously given her a fat lip at the start of the day.

_Earlier that morning, Laina was quietly working side by side with Marisol in the main hall, scrubbing the windows and removing any evidence of dirt and dust and grimy fingerprints that collected there from the previous day. The whole time they were working together they rarely exchanged two words with one another, so it came to be quite a surprise when the black-haired woman sneered and grumbled out of nowhere, "Look at her."_

_Laina knew who the "her" Marisol was referring to was and she didn't have to be told to look, the action automatic to the young maid whenever SHE was around. She smiled and her eyes lit up the instant they landed on the Queen, who had stopped to speak with Kai, the head servant of the castle._

_"She makes my skin crawl." Marisol shuddered violently as she dipped her wash cloth into the soap bucket and dabbed it against the window glass, grunting with exertion as she scrubbed. "Repulsive witch."_

_Whipping her head to the older woman, Laina's mouth hung unattractively open, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at her. Certainly the woman wasn't referring to the gracious Queen? She shifted her eyes from the other maid to the Queen and felt her body grow cold when she saw there was no mistake. Marisol's hatred filled gray eyes were definitely fixed on the queen, staring daggers at the monarch across the room, who was blissfully oblivious to the undeserved anger aimed her way._

_The woman clearly loathed Elsa for some reason, yet she worked in her household? It boggled Laina's mind. "That is your Queen you're talking about, in case you've forgotten," Laina said icily, standing up stiffly and throwing her rag into the bucket, ignoring the soapy water that sloshed up and spilled out the side, wetting her leg. "And right now, the only witch I see is you!"_

_"Puh!" Marisol rolled her eyes, lifting her nose and curling her upper lip at the remark. "Of course you wouldn't see it. You're a love sick puppy blinded by her wickedness. But I was here before she- IT- took over. I was here before that revolting thing murdered our rightful king and true queen. Everyone believes it was a freak storm that claimed King Adgar and Queen Idun's lives but I know better. She murdered them with her sorcery," Marisol insisted, jabbing a finger in the Queen's direction. "AND she got away with it! She is an evil witch who nearly destroyed this great kingdom and she will eventually succeed as long as people like you willingly grovel at her feet! She's not my queen and she will never be my-"_

_The punch came with little warning. The whole time Marisol was yapping away, Laina listened to the words spouting from her mouth, disgusted by what she was hearing, and a surge of energy built up in her body, flowing into her right arm and growing stronger and stronger until she snapped. Her intended target was the bitch's nose, but Laina was shaking with such rage that her aim was way off and her fist crashed full force against her mouth instead, shattering teeth and sending the older woman sprawling backwards, her legs knocking into and upending the bucket, spilling the contents all over the floor._

_The commotion created such a racket that every pair of eyes in the hall at that moment turned their way, and Laina froze, cradling her cut and bleeding hand to her chest while Kai rushed over to see what had happened as Elsa looked on curiously._

No one had witnessed the actual punch take place, and Marisol had babbled some stupid excuse about her accident, not willing to tell the truth about what really happened for obvious reasons, so Laina wasn't worried about getting reprimanded. The ugly, old wench was unable to continue her duties for the remainder of the day, so Laina, after wrapping her own right hand haphazardly with a rag, took it upon herself to complete them. She did it for the Queen, of course, because it wouldn't have been right to leave a section of the castle unclean thanks to her actions, even if what she did was well deserved and totally worth it in Laina's mind.

She would do it a million times over if she had to.

Swatting the hairs away from her face and wiping off the sweat from her forehead with the back of her left hand, Laina lugged the stepstool she used to help her reach areas high up and placed it on the ground below the remaining set of candles, stepping onto it. As she raised her feather duster up to swipe the dirt that collected in and around the wax candle sticks, the sleeve of her uniform slipped down her arm, revealing a bracelet around her thin wrist. The sight of the bracelet attracted her attention, demanded it, and she lowered her duster, tucking it under her arm so she could rub her fingers uninhibited against the white-blond silky materiel.

The bracelet was made entirely from loose strands of Queen Elsa's hair. Laina had weaved the bracelet herself using hairs she removed from the Queen's own brush during one of her daily cleanings. She didn't have the heart to discard the precious strands as if they were worthless garbage. It just seemed so… wrong. Her brain gave birth to the brilliant idea of creating a bracelet, and she was so happy she thought of the idea because not only was it a great stress reliever for the maid, but having the bracelet on her person was like having the Queen by her side at all times. It was comforting.

Laina was well aware she had a serious problem. The poor girl had it bad for the Queen, really bad… Loud mouth Marisol had been right about one thing, she truly was a love sick puppy.

From the very moment she set eyes on Queen Elsa, the very day she returned to Arendelle after freezing everything and then thawed the kingdom in her extravagant ice dress, Laina had been utterly and completely infatuated with her. She firmly believed the very special woman was a true goddess. There was no other explanation for why Queen Elsa was gorgeous as hell, and her amazing powers only amplified Laina's belief. More than anything she wanted to get to know the goddess personally, so when she heard the castle was hiring servants she jumped at the chance to become a maid.

It had been one of the best decisions she ever made in her life.

Upon being hired, she worked extra hard, hoping all the energy she put into her job would help her get noticed by the Queen. It was a ridiculous hope considering how many servants she worked alongside, most if not all of them equally as hard working as her. So she was shockingly surprised when she was not only noticed by Her Majesty, but assigned specifically to clean her room! No words could describe the elation she felt at the news. Her first time entering the room had been like walking into heaven, and when she gathered up the previously slept in linens to have them washed, she inhaled heavily to take in Elsa's scent…and that was the moment she fell in love.

The maid wasn't naïve. She knew the love she felt towards the Queen was foolish and not likely to ever be reciprocated. Ever. Realistically she didn't stand a chance with the Queen since she was nothing but a lowly servant, not worthy of her time and certainly not the least bit worthy of her attention. Laina was willing to accept that; she knew her place. Yet sometimes there were little moments that gave her a dash of hope, like when Queen Elsa would smile and compliment her on how good of a job she did, and the one time she touched her arm. The touch had been over her uniform and it was a rather short and simple contact, but the feeling of the touch had imbedded in her arm like she'd been branded, and Laina had been haunted by it, in a good way, for the rest of that day.

She yearned for more of Elsa's touches and it didn't matter to her how brief it was. She would do anything for a mere poke of her finger. Sadly, after the first time, there had been no other physical contact initiated on the Queen's part, which was why any chance or excuse Laina managed to find to touch the Queen, she took it without hesitation, ignoring all the possible risks. That error nearly cost her everything.

She had been too careless and too greedy and her actions had the misfortune of catching the attention of Princess Anna. Laina recalled how frighteningly angry the Princess appeared a few days ago when Laina had helped the Queen after the disastrous collision in the hallway, and if Elsa had the power of ice and snow at her control, Anna certainly had heat and flames on her side. The Princess's heated stare and acid-filled words certainly felt like they would burn her where she stood. Laina actually expected to spontaneously combust and get devoured by flames and had been truly surprised when she escaped the scene unscathed. Next time, if there ever was a next time, she doubted she would be so lucky.

After that unfortunate incident, Laina forced herself to avoid the Queen as best she could to quell any further suspicion from the Princess, though she hadn't run into the Princess since, much to her relief. At least not in the real world. Dreamland, on the other hand, was a very different story. More often than not, Laina's dreams concerning her and the Queen in intimate scenarios were ruined by the red-haired princess lurking in the shadows, usually wielding a pointy knife. They never ended pretty…

At least her fantasies were controlled by her own mind, untouchable and safe from crazy princesses. The fantasies she indulged in usually sprang to mind while cleaning Elsa's room, where the sight and smells of the Queen's personal belongings would drive her imagination wild. They were not limited within the bedroom, though. Often unique scenarios would pop into her head of the oh so wonderful Queen having her way with her, and vice versa, while she was doing mundane things such as laundry or window washing or sweeping.

Taking her duster in hand and delicately swiping the candles in front of her clean of dust, Laina smiled as her overactive brain churned up what would be one of her last fantasies of the day.

_The regal Ice Queen sat upon her throne with her shapely legs crossed, allowing the immaculate ice dress that sheathed her body to ride up just enough to expose her mouth watering thighs. Laina, kneeling only a few feet away from her, had a hard time removing her eyes from the sight, barely managing to direct her gaze elsewhere._

_"Did I give you permission to look away?"_

_The hairs on the back of Laina's neck stood at attention at the commanding tone of voice and she quaked with suppressed excitement as she allowed her eyes to tentatively trail up until the breathtaking beauty once again graced her eyeballs._

_Having the young maid's full attention focused on her, Queen Elsa leaned back, her hands caressing the arms of the throne with slow, deliberate strokes, and the gesture coupled with the hungry gleam in the Queen's eyes was enough to cause the maid to squirm where she knelt._

_"Tell me, Laina," Elsa said, her voice sugary sweet, "what do you see before you?"_

_"I see the most beautiful creature in all the kingdom," Laina answered truthfully and without hesitation._

_Elsa's lips quirked up in amusement. "Is that so?" she said, seduction heavily dripping off her tongue. She rose from the throne exuding elegance and power and stalked towards the servant girl. "Rise," she demanded when she was standing before Laina._

_Laina did so shakily. Standing on her two feet brought her within inches of the Queen, inches that disappeared once Elsa curled an arm around her waist and yanked her against her, allowing their clothed breasts to kiss. Dipping her head, Elsa's icy breath tickled her throat before plump lips latched on to skin._

Sucking in her breath, getting lost in her fantasy, Laina closed her eyes as if she were really experiencing the moment. The feather duster fell away, dropping to the ground uselessly, as she brought her wrist and the bracelet she wore around it up to her neck, rubbing the hair of her beloved queen against her now electrified skin as if she were being nuzzled.

_Cool fingertips skimmed along her sides, slipping under the fabric of her uniform top and brushing her bare skin, causing goose pimples to sprout all over her body. Laina shivered as the fingers dipped lower and Queen Elsa drowned her in kisses, her hand fluidly, and with no protest from Laina, making its way into the maid's skirt and finding her precious womanhood._

_Clutching at the queen in order to remain upright as fingers smoothly stroked her at just the right spot, Laina gasped and writhed at the touch._

_"Laina," Elsa breathed her name so thrillingly._

"Laina."

Distractedly, she opened her eyes and swiveled her head to her right, looking down and locking hazel eyes with startling blue ones, and the shock of seeing the source of all her desires right in front of her was so surprisingly unexpected that a gasp flew out of her mouth and her body launched itself upwards, both of her feet abandoning the stepstool. When she landed back down she did so awkwardly, not quite landing the same way, which resulted in her losing her footing and falling off the stepstool.

Queen Elsa swooped forward like a graceful angel, and oh, sweet Mother of Nature, wrapped her arms around Laina's body of her own volition, catching the maid and preventing her from tumbling to the floor and hurting herself.

Laina thought for sure her heart would literally explode in a bloody mess from her chest with the way it was jumping erratically in its cavern, and if she were to die right then and there she wouldn't have minded one bit because THE Queen was actually holding her! It was one thing to touch the Queen, but to have her touch you?

Her head comfortably nestled against the Queen's bosom, Laina could hear the pitter pattering of Elsa's heart. Surrounded by warmth and all that was pleasant, drowning in overwhelming sensations, Laina felt herself relaxing into the embrace, sighing happily, allowing her eyes to fall shut. It was such a nice feeling… "Don't wake me up," she murmured.

Seconds trickled by before reality hit her and she stiffened, her eyes flying open, as she fully grasped her current position.

She was in the Queen's arms!

Laina extracted herself from Elsa jerkily as if she'd been burned and stumbled back, tripping over the stool, her back colliding with the wall behind her with a solid thud. Clutching her hands to her chest, her breaths coming out shallow and harsh, she blurted out quickly, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! I am so sorry!" She dropped into a heavy curtsy- a little too heavy since she almost toppled over- and fixed her eyes to a spot on the floor.

"It was my fault. I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me coming," Elsa rushed out apologetically.

I would do anything to hear you coming, Laina thought wistfully, as she straightened out of her curtsy. Inwardly she winced, her face burning up as she silently scolded herself for thinking in such a way with Elsa a mere touch away. It was a constant issue she had… Elsa would always speak so sweetly and innocently and Laina would turn her words into sexual innuendos.

"Are you alright?" Elsa asked with concern, placing a steady hand on Laina's shoulder, her eyes scrutinizing the young maid intently.

Laina's lips flapped soundlessly before she managed to croak out, "Yea- Fine. I mean, I'm fine, Your Majesty." Smiling timidly, she remembered Elsa had approached her and figured there must have been a good reason behind her visit because it was pretty late and Elsa should, in theory, be getting ready for bed if not already in it. Keeping her eyes aimed down, she asked, "Is there something I can help you with, My Queen?"

An audible swallow coming from the Queen made her raise her eyes up long enough to notice Elsa's face transform. It was a slight shift of her features, but Laina thought she detected uneasiness on that pretty face and she immediately thought the worst. "Has my work been unsatisfactory?" she asked anxiously.

Elsa frowned and shook her head. "No. Not at all. You never disappoint me."

Happiness swelled within Laina's heart at her words and she bit her tongue to reign down the uncontrollable urge to smile like an overexcited idiot.

"I, well… I wanted to talk to you about something, but it has nothing to do with your work," Elsa continued quietly. She stepped around Laina and moved towards the nearest door, an unoccupied guest's bedroom, and opened it. "In here," she said curtly, gesturing inside and waiting expectantly for Laina to follow.

Confused by the unexpected request, Laina remained motionless. She couldn't understand why Elsa wouldn't speak to her where they stood. The hallway was empty except for the two of them and the likelihood of someone walking by at this time was slim, so it wasn't like they had no privacy.

Elsa cleared her throat impatiently, giving her a pointed look, and Laina decided not to question Her Majesty and obeyed. Her legs took a while to start moving but eventually they propelled her forward, and she walked past the Queen and into the dimly lit room.

The first thing she laid eyes on upon entering was the bed across the room, and her legs almost gave out as she thought of all the possibilities of being alone with the Queen in an empty room with nothing but a single bed. A bed. Her. Queen Elsa. Add all three together and you get what could only be delightfully good things…

Suddenly the top of her uniform felt terribly constricting.

Hearing the door click shut behind her, Laina turned around fast and watched as Elsa placed her back to the door, leaning against it as her eyes inspected her from afar. Having those eyes traveling her body so openly caused the rabbit that was living in her chest to start thumping its foot more rapidly against her heart, and Laina closed her eyes and dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, practically panting for breath, and waited for her body to be ravished.

"Laina-"

"Yes, please!"

Elsa blinked quizzically. "I didn't say anything yet."

"Oh." Oops. Control yourself, she chided herself. "My apologies, Your Majesty," Laina said, lowering her head as a powerful blush colored her face a bright shade of red. Silence followed the maid's embarrassment, and during that silence the room grew noticeably chilly. She could visibly see the plumes of each exhalation she made as she fiddled with the collar of her uniform before clasping her hands chokingly together in front of her.

Pushing herself off the door, Elsa minimized the distance until they were separated by a few feet. Sternly, she ordered, "Look at me."

Shaking like a leaf, more out of excitement and nervousness rather than the cold that invaded the room, Laina sucked in a lungful of encouraging air before lifting her eyes. She allowed her hazel eyes to crawl up the Queen's length, passing swiftly over heavenly features and ensuring her gaze did not stray too long in one particular area before she met Elsa's blue ones head on. She kept them firmly in place despite the urge to look elsewhere, not that she wanted to look elsewhere... She only ever wanted to gaze upon the Queen if it were possible, but doing so always left her in quite a state, so to avoid making a fool of herself, which usually happened regardless, she tried not to meet those soulful eyes for too long or too much whenever in her presence. The floor was always the safest option.

Surprisingly, it was the Queen who averted her eyes first, and Laina was rewarded with the sight of seeing her nervously biting her lip as her manicured fingers kneaded a folded piece of paper, and Laina couldn't help but think how adorable the action was.

Wait, hold on… the Queen was nervous? Laina raised an eyebrow questioningly, wondering what was causing this intriguing behavior. Elsa was normally always so poised, so seeing this side of her was vastly different.

Her mind running through the many possible causes of Elsa's current state, Laina was caught off guard when Elsa bluntly asked, "Do you have something to tell me?"

The question was met with heavy silence as fear trickled down Laina's spine and the knuckles of her injured hand throbbed with pain, reminding her of her little deed from earlier. Had she underestimated Marisol? She thought for sure Marisol wouldn't have told anyone about the incident considering the reason behind it but she hadn't taken into account her lying about it. With a sinking feeling in her chest, Laina realized she was probably about to lose her job and that scary thought caused hot tears to burn the back of her eyeballs. She had assaulted another worker, after all, and there was zero tolerance for that kind of conduct.

"I'm not sorry," Laina said vehemently. And then the pressure behind Laina's eyes became too much, blurring her vision, and she broke down. "P-please d-don't fire me!"

Alarmed at the sudden bawling girl before her, Elsa paled considerably and guided Laina to the bed, sitting her down and placing herself right beside her. Unsure of what to do to calm the hysterical girl, she hesitantly rubbed the girl's back, which seemed to do the trick as the blubbering lessened and the tears slowed to a crawl.

"I'm not sorry," Laina repeated in a croaked whisper, toying with her bandage. "She said nasty things about you and I couldn't… I couldn't just stand idly and listen to such disrespecting filth spew from that wretched gob!"

That apparently wasn't what the Queen was expecting to hear. The frown that marred her face deepened, her stenciled eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement. "Laina, what are you talking about?"

Laina glanced at her. The Queen seemed genuinely thrown by her words. "I thought… isn't this about Marisol?"

"No," Elsa said tightly, removing her hand from the maid's back and folding both of hers in her lap. "I take it this has something to do with what happened this morning?" Laina nodded. "I was unaware that was a situation that needed my attention, though since you brought it up, I would like to hear more about it in greater detail… at another time."

"Oh… then…" If this meeting wasn't about Marisol, there was only one other thing she could think of that would require the Queen to confront her privately, and it had to be because she knew of the feelings she harbored for her. Princess Anna likely brought the revelation to the Queen's attention after seeing her overtly touching her sister.

Laina's teeth chattered noisily and she hugged herself. The need to confess was so strong that she felt a new wave of imminent tears building behind her eyes and she was so close to spilling everything out, her confession teetering dangerously on the tip of her tongue. She clamped her teeth together and hissed in a mouthful of air, keeping the threatening onslaught of tears at bay and her confession leashed. Laina feigned ignorance, because there was a tiny chance she was wrong and that Elsa didn't know about her attraction towards her. If that was the case, she was not going to embarrass herself by bringing it to light. "I'm… not sure what you mean."

Queen Elsa appeared uncomfortable. "I wanted to know…" she started to say, before stopping and shaking her head. "I mean, did you- Uh… Is this…" Stumbling over her words and unable to form a complete coherent sentence, Elsa flared her nostrils and exhaled irritably, her smoky breath from the cold shooting upwards and disturbing her bangs. She unfolded the paper she was holding and held it up stiffly. "Do you know anything about this?" she tried again, calm, cool, and collected.

Squinting at the badly mangled sheet, Laina leaned forward to get a better view. The bad lighting and beat up condition of the letter made it hard to see clearly, and on closer inspection she discovered that most of the ink was smudged and running, rendering the top and bottom portions of the letter blurry and practically unreadable. She wondered about the sad condition the paper was in before scanning the words she was able to see and making an attempt to read them. Laina never quite mastered reading and noticeably struggled as her lips silently moved, trying to sound out the words to better comprehend them. Slowly, and with much difficulty, Laina started to understand the meaning of what she was reading, her interest and fascination growing with each word that clicked. She was unaware that as she read, Elsa paid extra close attention to her face, waiting for a reaction.

Laina stared at the paper in awe, and the longer she read, the more agitated Elsa got, until finally, after a certain point, Elsa removed the letter from Laina's view. But Laina had deciphered enough to know that Elsa had in her possession what could only be described as a love letter. It was a love letter and it was about Elsa, there was no denying that, and boy was it brilliant.

Stunned by the amazingness, Laina found herself insanely envious of the writer. "Wow."

"Well?" Elsa was stone-faced, waiting for an answer.

Forgetting what the question was, Laina asked, "What do you want to know, My Queen?"

"Did you write this?"

Laina's jaw dropped. The Queen thought the beautifully written words were from her hands? Oh, how she wished they were! But if she thought that, surely that meant she suspected Laina had feelings for her? Or maybe she was making rounds and questioning everyone, though why do it herself and not have help from her staff? Laina was extremely flattered regardless and smiled shyly as she said sadly, "No, I did not, Your Majesty." She swore she saw the Queen's shoulders sag with… disappointment? She felt the need to apologize and explain herself. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't know how to write," she admitted.

The Queen looked at her peculiarly, like she had two noses. "But you can read," Elsa said, pointing out the obvious, finding it absurd that she could do one and not the other.

"I do the best I can," Laina said simply.

The bed shifted as the weight of the Queen abandoned it. Then a gentle hand rested on her shoulder and Laina quivered, her breath faltering. She heard Elsa sigh and looked up to see compassion in her eyes. "Would you like to learn how to write?" Elsa asked seriously.

Nodding her head eagerly, wanting to leap to her feet with joy, Laina replied, "Yes, very much so, Your Majesty!" It would be a dream come true… or one of them, at least.

Giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, Elsa turned away and moved towards the door, opening it a crack, getting ready to leave. "I'll talk to Anna. I'm sure she wouldn't mind teaching you."

Laina stood from the bed and went rigid at the mention of the Princess. Eyes wide with fright, she said meekly, "Oh, that's not necessary. I wouldn't want to be a burden and I'm sure the Princess has better things to do!" She laughed nervously. "Besides, I wouldn't have much free time to learn as my job comes first and foremost." Forcing a cheery smile, she curtsied and said politely, "But I greatly appreciate the offer, My Queen."

Elsa watched her with bemused interest as she spoke, and something must have alerted her to Laina's sudden discomfort at the mention of her sister because she shut the door and whirled around to face her. "Is there something going on between you and the Princess?"

"Why do you ask?" Laina said cautiously.

"Anna was quite snippy with you that one day, and it's not like her to act like that for no reason. I can't imagine what could have happened, what you could have done, to get her so worked up." Elsa was clearly bothered by the incident.

"She didn't like me touching you," Laina should have said, but refrained from doing so, knowing it would cost her dearly, so she searched her brain for some small lie that wouldn't blow up in her face too badly if it ever got back to Princess Anna. "It was…uh… krumkake! The Princess requested some and I… was the bearer of bad news," she fibbed. It killed her inside that she was lying to the Queen's face, no matter how harmless the lie seemed. But there was no denying Her Highness had a crazy obsession for the dessert so the lie was perfectly believable and one that seemed to appease the Queen, who mouthed an "Oh" of understanding and flashed an apologizing look for Anna's behavior.

"She can be a handful, that one," Elsa answered with a chuckle, and a small smile graced her lips. It faded almost as fast as it appeared and she looked pained and troubled when she turned her attention to the letter in her hand.

Laina wished she could do something to remove the saddening sight from those lovely features. "Do you need help with something, Your Majesty? Is there anything I can do?" the maid asked worriedly.

Sighing resignedly, Elsa crumpled the paper in her fist and opened the door all the way with her free hand. "No, you can't," she said tersely, and then added gently, "Thank you, Laina. Get some rest." And with those parting words, the Queen was gone.

Laina didn't move for the longest time, making absolutely certain Elsa wouldn't be returning. When she was sure, she flung herself backwards across the guest bed, collapsing against the cushioned bedding, and the breath escaped from her explosively as she rubbed her face vigorously with her hands.

Hands down that was the most intense few minutes she'd ever experienced in her life! Not knowing what to expect was terrifying and exciting. The whirlwind of emotions the Queen put her through without even meaning to was laughable. Her exhaustion from earlier vanished completely, Laina grinned stupidly, thinking of the Queen's last words, and knew there was no way in hell she'd be getting any sleep that night, not with everything so fresh in her head. Frankly, she didn't mind one bit.

* * *

Elsa had been so sure, so positive, that Laina was behind it all, and she had been wrong. Now she was back to where she started, which was absolutely nowhere.

After her unsuccessful visit with Laina, which unfortunately only gave her more problems to worry about, Elsa was going to try and locate Olaf to get some information out of him and find out how he got hold of the letter to begin with. But when she took note of the time, she realized her investigating period was up.

It was almost midnight.

Defeated, Elsa had only one solid way of finding out who this mystery girl really was. She had no choice. She had to attend the meeting and put an end to her misery.

**AN: Holy heck this chapter is pretty long, or at least the longest I've posted so far. :o I sincerely apologize for the delay of this chapter... I've mentioned before that I've written some of the chapters well in advance so they're usually ready to post but this chapter, or at least the maid's part, wasn't planned and was added a bit last minute. It took a while to write (I literally spent all day on it!) and I hope it turned out okay?**


	12. Midnight Rendezvous

Eternity.

That's what it felt like to Anna as she waited in the royal garden for midnight to come around. It was certainly taking its damn sweet time, purposely dragging just to irritate her, she was sure. And it was working.

Tense and restless, she tried to occupy as much of her time as possible during the dreadfully painful wait, but there wasn't all that much to do that would take up so many hours in the garden. She'd counted every single flower, dipped her legs in the fountain more than once, climbed up the tree about five times, nearly falling off on her last climb which made her not risk another attempt. It wouldn't do her any good if she broke a bone in her body on what was probably one of the most important moments in her life…

Anna was going to finally come out to Elsa.

As the deadline neared she tried to imagine how the whole thing would unfold, or rather, how she wanted it to unfold. She leaned against the tree and closed her eyes and envisioned it in her head...

_Elsa sashayed confidently towards her, her smooth pale legs revealing themselves tantalizingly through a very generous slit in her dress as she walked. Her braided white-blond hair was draped over her left shoulder, resting upon a voluptuous breast. Anna would have given anything to be that hair, jealous of its close proximity to such a treasure. How lucky it was to lay so carelessly there._

_"Hello, beautiful," Anna greeted endearingly, dipping into a respectful curtsy._

_When she straightened up, Elsa was directly in front of her, eyes twinkling with laughter and delicious promises. "Hello." Her hands found Anna's hips and brought their bodies close together. "I wonder who my secret admirer could be," she murmured seductively in her ear, brushing her lips along the edge of Anna's ear before nipping playfully on her earlobe. Keeping one hand on the younger girl's slim waist, Elsa brought the fingers of her other hand up to tickle along Anna's collarbone teasingly. Her fingers slid up, caressing a slender throat that was just waiting to be claimed by eager lips, and continued their journey until the tips touched the very bottom of the mask that was covering a large portion of Anna's face. With an elegant flick of her hand the mask was whipped off, banished from its perch forever, unveiling Anna's face._

_Chuckling, Elsa smiled grandly as if she'd just won a fabulous prize and revealed, "I knew it was you all along." She captured Anna's mouth hungrily-_

Before she could get too carried away and end up distracting herself and missing Elsa's entry if she were to show, Anna snapped herself back to attention, releasing the breath she was holding in with an audible whoosh of air. Oh, but if the meeting went in that direction or anywhere even close to it, she would be very, very pleased. She crossed her fingers and hoped with all her might for a pleasant end to a nerve-racking night.

"Okay, Anna. You can do this," Anna coached herself aloud, hopping from one foot to the other, rubbing her hands together, pumping herself up. Dressed in her masquerade outfit, hairpiece and all, she looked like an awkwardly dancing chicken. "You were born to do this! Erm, well, maybe not specifically for this but…" She snorted out an awkward laugh. "You can do it!" she cheered.

She stopped her movements, the tiny workout making her hot, and her face contorted at how absolutely disgusting she felt. Anna had never thought it was physically possible for a person to sweat so profusely but she was perspiring so heavily, mostly from nervousness, that her underarms were drenched. She felt like a walking water fountain. Oh god, did she remember to put on perfume? What if she smelled horribly and the stench drove Elsa away?

Anna lifted her arm and risked a quick sniff at her armpit to test her stench and stiffened when her ears picked up the unmistakable sound of quiet footsteps approaching, heading her way. Her arm dropped fast, slapping against her side as she took a step backwards, the heel of her shoe catching in the dirt and causing her to trip and bump against the tree, her legs twitching with a sudden, uncontrollable urge to bolt. She remained rooted in place, her heart thudding in her chest as she watched a shadowy figure slowly approach.

Was it her? Was she here? Oh, don't faint, Anna screamed internally at herself, feeling the beginnings of lightheadedness. If she fainted now it would ruin everything. She gulped air furiously into her lungs and hid the shakiness of her hands by holding them tightly in front of her.

You can do this, Anna reminded herself. Keep calm. Be cool.

Elsa stepped into the light and came to an abrupt halt seeing Anna's form, and her shoulders lifted and fell noticeably as she summoned up the courage to confront her. She continued forward rigidly, her movements slow and cautious, finally stopping once she was a few feet away.

She actually showed, Anna thought as she smiled warmly, her nervousness vanishing magically, replaced with a surge of confidence that filled her completely. She silently took in her sister's condition, noting that Elsa appeared slightly calmer than when Anna had last seen her, but anxiety still glinted in her eyes. Her hair was thrown up into a bun haphazardly and the dark blue dress she wore was wrinkled more than usual, as if she'd been moving nonstop the whole day, likely trying to decipher the culprit behind the letter, Anna realized guiltily. Despite her disheveled appearance, to Anna she looked beautiful as ever.

It was time. The truth was about to be revealed and Anna was confident it would turn out perfectly fine.

Clearing her throat, Anna broke the silence by speaking first, making her voice sound soft and dainty and un-Anna like as possible to prolong the mysteriousness, "Your Majesty." She curtsied gracefully and said, "It is an honor to be graced with your presence once again." Anna was proud of how sophisticated she sounded and how her voice didn't waver one bit.

Elsa remained quiet as she studied her, as if calculating whether she was a threat, Anna guessed. Anna waited patiently, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. Then, fidgeting, Elsa finally spoke. "You wrote me the letter."

"Yes," Anna confirmed. She hesitated and added, "I hope it didn't offend you."

There was a long pause, followed by a giant, slow exhale of breath. "No, it was… lovely. Really. I just… it was a bit unexpected," Elsa admitted. One arm settled across her stomach and her hand gripped her side tightly, as if she were giving herself a half hug.

Anna found the nervous gesture adorable and sad at the same time. "Well, I am truly sorry if my letter made you uncomfortable in any way. I only wished to see you again." Anna stepped forward and Elsa backed away, lifting a hand to stop her from coming closer, keeping a safe distance between them.

"No, no! There's no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you." Squaring her shoulders, Elsa said, "Please accept my sincere apology for my improper behavior that night. I will compensate you in some way. I- I will grant you anything you need or want."

"No, please don't feel sorry," Anna said almost desperately.

"I was out of line," Elsa insisted. "You were my guest and I took advantage of you, and for that I must apologize."

Anna inched forward. "You didn't do anything I wasn't wanting," she assured. She reached out slowly and touched Elsa's upper arm, and when Elsa stiffened but didn't pull away she squeezed it reassuringly and crowded closer to her. "But if you insist on compensating me, I will take you up on that offer," she said sweetly.

She wasn't at all comfortable with the touch but Elsa found she couldn't avoid it. She couldn't run from this. Nodding wearily, Elsa asked resignedly, "What do you want?"

"Something worth more than anything all the money in the world can buy."

Elsa shifted nervously in place and said, "Before you say anything else, I need to know… How- How did you discover it was me?"

Anna smiled pleasantly. "Your beauty, my Queen, is one of a kind. It's not something that can be hidden so easily. I will admit that it took me a while to see the truth, but when I think back on it, I don't know how I missed it," she answered. She slid her hand down Elsa's arm till her hand rested on top of Elsa's hand. Elsa's fingers were stiff and enclosed into a fist and Anna gently pried them open and apart.

Embarrassed by her compliment, Elsa blushed and watched as Anna, whom she thought was a stranger, unwrapped her fist with puzzlement, slightly perturbed and unsure of what she was doing.

"For my compensation," Anna said, tickling her palm before letting her fingers intertwine with Elsa's, uniting their hands, "I would like a kiss."

"You want… what?" Elsa said, taken aback by the unexpected request, blinking in confusion. "A… kiss?" She'd been expecting a demand for a ridiculous amount of money or something of extreme value, but a kiss? It wouldn't have crossed her mind. She swallowed audibly as Anna's other hand came up and petted her cheek before drawing Elsa's face closer until their breaths mingled, their lips almost touching. The closeness caused Elsa's breath to hitch raggedly, her body trembling with eagerness. "Who are you?" Elsa whispered wonderingly, her eyes darting from the dangerously close lips to the eyes concealed behind the mask.

Anna's tongue flicked out and moistened her own lips, readying them. She enjoyed how Elsa's eyes fixated on her mouth. She parted her lips and said suavely, "The girl of your dreams." Then she closed the gap and their lips met softly.

* * *

This is wrong. This shouldn't be happening, Elsa thought. A kiss was hardly adequate compensation, not to mention it was severely aggravating the situation. She knew this when her body reacted automatically as the kiss was initiated and she instinctively pressed into the warm figure before her, seeking more contact. As soon as she realized what her traitorous body was doing, she weakly tried to break free from the embrace. But the girl would not release her, determinedly tightening the strong hold she had on her, so Elsa stopped fighting it and prepared herself for the inevitable.

It would be different this time, Elsa told herself as the kiss went on, her hands escaping from the girl's grasp and attaching to her waist as she pinned her against the same tree from the night of the masquerade ball. The girl sighed into her mouth and hooked a leg behind the back of Elsa's knee, bringing her closer, and one hand deftly glided along Elsa's arm and up her back, her fingers crawling up the nape of her neck before sinking into pale hair.

Yes, it would be different. Because this time Elsa wouldn't let Anna invade her mind, this time she would see this woman's face as she satisfied her.

As the kiss magnified and the girl's sighs of pleasure swiftly shifted to quiet moans, Elsa raised her hand to the mask covering the face she was currently engaged with, needing to see who was hiding under it. Her hand tentatively removed the mask and she allowed it to fall with a plop at their feet. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, she pulled her head back far enough to meet the unmasked face for the first time ever… and all the air in her lungs escaped violently, as if someone had punched her full force in her gut.

"Anna?!" Elsa screamed shrilly, her eyeballs practically exploding from their sockets, and the entire grounds of the garden froze instantaneously. She flung herself backwards hastily and managed somehow to remain standing on the newly formed ice, covering her mouth with her clenched fist and biting into her knuckles as her eyes stared disbelievingly at her sister. Anna, her little sister, whom she had been kissing, whom she had very nearly… "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no" she gasped out, numb with paralyzing fear as the truth sank in, as her eyes took in Anna's outfit, the exact same one from the masquerade ball. She wanted desperately to believe it was a sick joke or that she was having a bizarre dream and would be waking up any second.

But it was terrifyingly real.

An isolated blizzard kicked up in the garden. Heavy snow and sleet pummeled them as an icy wind whipped with unchecked fury, creating a wall of sheer whiteness that cut the two off from each other's view. Elsa could hear over the roaring wind Anna calling out to her, fear and desperation in her voice, and Elsa tried to retreat back, needing to get away, to hide from what she'd done. But her legs would not obey her, would not let her flee.

It was all too much for her to handle. Elsa's vision blurred and she sank to the ground weightlessly, the snow cushioning her fall.

* * *

Anna raised her arms to shield her eyes from the sharp shards of icy sleet assaulting her body while trying not to lose sight of her sister, which was impossible with the absolute whiteout the storm caused.

But as sudden as the snowstorm appeared, it diminished and disappeared altogether soon after, just in time for Anna to witness Elsa's collapse. "Elsa!" Anna cried, yanking her hair piece out and rushing towards her sister. "Elsa- Whoooa!" She steadied herself on the slippery ice. "Shit!" There wasn't as much snow near her, most of it centered around Elsa, so the ice was more slippery by her and less so by her sister. Anna skated across the ice until she could safely walk up to her sister's crumpled form and slid to her knees, gathering Elsa into her arms, resting her on her lap, dusting the snow that nested in her sister's hair and on her pale face off. "Oh, no. Elsa! Wake up!"

Elsa didn't respond and lay motionless, looking fragile and broken.

Anna frantically looked around for anything to snap her sister awake and spotted the water fountain. It was still spewing out water, surprisingly, though not as abundantly as before. Climbing wobbly to her feet and holding Elsa under her armpits, Anna dragged her over to the fountain. She set her down and scooped water from the fountain pool into her cupped hands and splashed Elsa's face with the cold water until she heard Elsa groan and scrunch up her face, wriggling her nose in annoyance. "Elsa?" She crouched beside her and held her face between her hands. "Wake up, Elsa!"

Elsa's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey." Anna caressed her cheek and coaxed her back to consciousness. "You're okay."

Elsa blinked repeatedly at Anna, feeling her warm hand petting her cheek and she leaned into the soothing warmth. Her mind was blank, she couldn't remember what happened, where she was. She tried lifting her head but Anna kept her down and told her to move slowly. It was cold and icy, that much she could tell. Were they at her ice castle? Had they taken another trip up to see it? "What…?"

"Hey," Anna repeated, smiling faintly. "I got you."

"Anna…" Everything flooded back to her all at once and Elsa wrenched away from Anna's touch as overwhelming fear consumed her. She tried to roll away but Anna prevented her from escaping, keeping her down on the ice, her hands pushing against Elsa's shoulders.

"No! Elsa, stop! Don't run, please!" Anna begged.

"Don't touch me, Anna! Stay away!"

"No, listen to me! It's okay! There's no need to panic! I'm okay with it, Elsa!"

The Queen stopped struggling and gaped at the Princess. "Are you insane?" she asked incredulously.

"Um…"

Chest heaving, hyperventilating, her face growing redder by the second, Elsa gasped out, "Do you know what you're saying?" She used all her remaining strength to shrug out of Anna's vice-like grasp and sat up shakily. "I forced myself on you! It's NOT okay, it can never be okay!" she said vehemently.

"You didn't force yourself on me!" Anna yelled. "Will you stop pushing me away and listen to me for once, please?" she pleaded. She had to calm her down, get her to understand. "I wanted it, okay? I want you as much as you want me. I know you might find that hard to believe, but it's true! Look at me, Elsa. Do I look traumatized to you? No, because I'm not! Because I love you and I know you feel the same way!"

Elsa laughed bitterly. "Listen to yourself, Anna. We're sisters! Sisters, Anna! Things like this," she said, gesturing at the two of them, "aren't meant to happen between sisters! It's not right."

Her sister's last sentence burned, and Anna winced before she snapped, "I don't believe that! I don't see how something so wrong could feel so right. Whenever I'm in your presence, whenever I so much as think of you, imagine being with you, I can't help but feel absolute joy. How can you say that's wrong?"

"Because I put that into your head when I defiled you!"

"Elsa!" Anna fumed. She was so ready to wrap her hands around Elsa's neck and strangle some sense into her, not that she would ever literally do such a thing to her sister but the temptation was very strong. "You may have woken me up to those feelings but they were buried inside me all along. They would have surfaced eventually," she said feverishly. "You know that letter? I wrote it, and I meant every word in it and it doesn't even contain all of how I feel about you! But those words belong to me, and they are one hundred percent real. They are my true feelings. They came from my heart." She pounded her fist against the area of her heart for emphasis.

"That I froze," Elsa pointed out sullenly, "and corrupted."

That, Anna felt, warranted a slap and she didn't restrain herself from letting it loose, her growing anger putting more force behind it than she intended. Her hand cracked loudly against her sister's cheek, the blow stunning Elsa and twisting her entire body sideways.

Elsa's jaw flapped open soundlessly in shock. Her cheek stung and a hand imprint blazed an angry red on her pale skin, marring it. Tears welled in her eyes and one dripped out, crystallizing the instant it touched the snow.

Anna recoiled and covered her mouth in horror, instantly regretting her action. "Elsa, god, I'm sorry." To bring physical harm to her sister, who was only scared and confused, was wrong. "I shouldn't have done that."

Elsa sniffled and kept her eyes downcast. "I deserved it."

"No, you didn't. You don't. Elsa, look at me." Anna touched her arm carefully, expecting Elsa to freak out on her again, but the slap seemed to have subdued her to a manageable state. "Elsa, I know you're scared and you feel guilty and ashamed."

"As I should…"

She went on as if she didn't hear her. "But what you feel, what I feel, what we did… it's not a bad thing. It's a beautiful thing and it can be so much more beautiful if you stop beating yourself up over it." Emotion clogging her throat, Anna proclaimed, "I love you, Elsa. I love you. And I want you to answer me truthfully. Do you love me?"

"Yes, of course. You know I do," Elsa answered caringly, without hesitation. "But-"

Anna grabbed Elsa's chin with a strong grip and forced her to stare her in the eyes. "Do you want me?"

Elsa flinched. "Anna…" she said warningly.

"I need to hear you say it."

"No…"

"Elsa…"

"Please, Anna. Leave me alone," Elsa beseeched, trying to pull away.

"No, I won't leave you alone. I'm not going anywhere and I won't allow you to shut me out again," Anna said heatedly. "We've both endured enough loneliness in our lives and there's no need for that. No more. Not ever again! Now answer me. Do. You. Want. Me?"

Elsa's jaw worked under Anna's grasp and she released a shuddering breath. "Yes," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Anna exhaled deeply with happy relief. She didn't weaken her hold on Elsa's chin, refusing to let her go just yet. She inched her face closer to Elsa's, watching as Elsa's cold breath puffed noticeably from her trembling lips thanks to the frigid air. "Then kiss me," she whispered.

"No," Elsa said, her tone frosty at first, then more softly, "I can't." But even before the words left her mouth, her shoulders slumped as her body became listless, weak from all her pent up emotion. She didn't have any strength left to fight, so when Anna's lips conquered hers with a gentle but passionate kiss that conveyed all the love Anna felt for her sister, all Elsa could do was cry pathetically.

Anna cut the kiss short and observed her sister's tears as they flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks. She enfolded Elsa into her arms to comfort her. "Oh, don't do that, please. There's no need for that." Anna kissed away Elsa's salty tears and murmured soothingly, "It's alright. We've found each other. Don't cry, Elsa." She shivered, her body feeling the chill of the snow and ice around them now that the burning heat of her anger had dissipated. "Listen," she said, reluctantly pulling back from the hug, "I know it's a lot to take in and we definitely need to talk about this more, obviously, but let's go inside and talk it over somewhere more comfortable, okay?"

Elsa hiccupped and nodded blearily, wiping her tear-stained face. "Anna, can… May I have a few minutes alone first, please? To think?"

Anna palmed her cheek, the one she'd dared to harm, still glowing red. "I… Yeah, sure. I understand you need some time to adjust to this. I mean, I kind of thrust it all on you out of nowhere and I… I'll give you thirty minutes, but after that we'll meet in your room and discuss this further. And don't you even think about hiding from me because I will find you. I won't let you hide from this," she warned. She helped Elsa up into a standing position and squeezed her hands comfortingly before she threw her arms around her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "It'll be okay," she said resolutely, placing a chaste kiss against Elsa's lips. "You'll see."

"Sure it will," Elsa said unconvincingly, not believing it for a second. Because she knew Anna had no clue what she was saying or feeling. Anna was too young, too vulnerable and too easily manipulated and Elsa's actions, unknowingly, had twisted her innocent sister's mind. But what could she do about it? The damage was already done and therefore irreparable… She couldn't undo it.

Or could she?

Huddled by the fountain, which was now frozen over entirely and completely ceased spouting out any liquid remnants of water, Elsa's head flew up as an idea came to her. As she watched Anna shuffle out of the winter wonderland the garden had become thanks to her out of control emotions, the younger girl casting a worried glance her way, Elsa knew what she had to do to make everything right again.

**AN: And here it is... I'm uploading this sooner than I wanted only because I know how eager you guys are to see how the meeting went. The next two chapters coming up will be great, don't you worry. ;D I'm insanely (pleasantly) surprised about all the reviews from the last chapter! Wasn't expecting so many but I seriously appreciate them all so much, you have no idea! I love you all! :D**


	13. Well, That Escalated Quickly

Elsa made a quick stop at the library to retrieve a specific book that would provide her with the vital information she needed- the location of the trolls. She tried remembering how to get there by her memory alone, but she couldn't no matter how hard she racked her brain. It was unsurprising considering she had seen the trolls only once in her life and that was when their parents had rushed to seek aid from them after she had accidentally struck her precious sister in the head with her powers following a late night play date gone wrong.

It had happened so long ago and she had been too young, upset, and very frightened at the time to really take in her surroundings, not to mention it had been dark. The book was her only viable option if she didn't count asking Anna for the directions… and that most definitely wasn't going to happen.

Once she had the book in her possession, she hurried straight to her room without further delay, scurrying through the halls with her heart in her throat, expecting Anna to leap out at her any second, which mercifully didn't happen. The Queen probably would have died from a heart attack if it had. She managed to make it to her room within ten minutes of the thirty minute time limit Anna had given her, and as soon as she was safely inside she closed the door and locked it, freezing it shut for good measure. Anna could try and come, and she undoubtedly would, but unless she had the ability to go through walls or doors, she wasn't getting in. Not unless she burned the door down. Elsa didn't think Anna would go that far, but then again Anna was unpredictable…more so than she thought considering the predicament they were in.

I can't believe I touched my sister intimately, Elsa thought in a daze, grazing the fingers on one hand haltingly through her bangs as she cradled the thick and musty smelling brown-leathered book to her chest with the other, laughing at the craziness of the situation. She had inadvertently fucked her own sister, to put it bluntly. Fantasies were one thing but to have actually done the dirty deed?

It was rather shocking to Elsa that the younger girl seemed to accept what happened between them so eagerly and unquestioningly, and really, Elsa should have been elated by the revelation considering it was what she'd been dreaming of for so long… But any joy she might have felt was overshadowed by the wrongness of it all. Anna was her little sister, for goodness sake! It was dangerous and unacceptable for them to be romantically involved. No matter how badly Elsa wanted it, she needed to ensure that nothing would happen between them ever again.

It pained Elsa greatly to have to lock Anna out, but what choice did she have? She could not allow Anna to entertain thoughts of them together, and she knew any effort used to try and talk her sister out of pursuing the matter would be pointless. Anna wouldn't give up so easily on something she felt so passionately about, and judging by her kisses and the slap she'd given so freely, she was VERY passionate about it, extremely so. Considering how incredibly stubborn and persuasive Anna was at times, she would likely continue to push and encourage Elsa relentlessly to accept it, and the worst part was that eventually Elsa would cave, because she was utterly defenseless and weak when it came to Anna. If another kingdom wanted to take Arendelle from her control, all they would need to do was send an army of Annas her way… Her defeat would be instantaneous.

Elsa tossed the book onto her bed and sighed weightily, knowing the situation she faced was far worse than what she could have imagined when she'd thought Anna had been a random acquaintance. She had feared the news of her intimacy with "the girl" getting out to the public would cause a huge scandal, but that was nothing compared to the real, shocking truth. If the people of Arendelle ever found out that she, the queen, tainted her poor innocent sister there would be outrage. The pitchforks would come out and her head would fall, she was certain of that.

It was official, Elsa decided. She truly was cursed.

Stripping out of her clothes, Elsa ran the tub and bathed quickly, wanting to hurry and get to the book and find the information she needed as soon as possible. She scrubbed her skin extra hard, as if by doing so she could cleanse herself of the wrongness she had done.

After her bath she slipped into her nightgown and stood in front of the bathroom mirror, examining the fading redness of her cheek, rubbing it and remembering the sharp pain she had felt when receiving it. Anna striking her had been a shock to her system and she had been wounded by it in more than a physical way, but regardless of how she felt about it, she knew she deserved it. In fact, she deserved far worse than a measly slap for what she did.

Elsa filled an empty glass that was perched on the sink counter with water, wishing she had something strong that could knock her out cold. Back when she was a child and was plagued with horrendous nightmares following Anna's accident and suffered one too many restless nights, she had been given a sleeping remedy that allowed her to sleep undisturbed. She needed that now more than ever! Sulking, she took the cup into her bedroom and set it on the bedside table next to the portrait of Anna she kept there, which seemed to stare accusingly at her as if saying, "How could you?"

"I'm sorry," she said to it, and turned it to face away from her, too ashamed to even look a picture in the eye. Elsa stretched out on her bed and opened the book that would save her from the mess she'd put herself in, or at least she hoped. She thumbed through the worn pages and discovered it was chock full of text she didn't recognize, written in a language she was not familiar with. She cursed under her breath and impatiently slipped her fingers through her front bangs. How was she supposed to find the help she needed if she couldn't decipher the words? It was the same book her father had turned to that fateful night many years ago, she was sure of it. But she was missing something, forgetting about something important. She rubbed her temples in frustration and willed herself to remember.

And then it came to her.

A map! There had been an actual map inside the book. She recalled seeing the map fall onto the floor while she huddled beside her father's legs after he frantically opened the book on that scary night.

As if on cue, as Elsa turned a page in the book, a folded sheet of paper escaped from its previously confining placement and fluttered to the floor soundlessly. She flicked her eyes to her right to track the falling paper's movement and met a steely pair of eyes similar in color to her own, staring her down intensely.

Elsa freaked out, arms flailing up, sending the book tumbling through the air and across the room where it hit the wall with a bang before thumping uselessly to the floor. She threw herself back against the headboard of her bed, hand to her heart. "Anna! How did-? Where-?!" She looked confusedly to the door, which appeared untouched and frozen solid just like she left it.

Anna arched an eyebrow and rested her arms on the bed, dropping her head on top of them, grinning coyly. "You didn't know about the secret trap door under your bed that hides a connecting passageway from your room to mine?"

"What?" Elsa looked utterly horrified.

"It was a joke," Anna said sheepishly.

"This whole thing is funny to you, is it? It amuses you greatly?" Elsa said petulantly, scowling.

"Actually, you have to admit it kind of is funny. I mean, just a little bit… at least certain aspects of it, maybe…" Anna grimaced as she perched on the bed cautiously, sensing Elsa was still uneasy, and played with her own fingers, tapping the tips together. She had sensed Elsa was going to try and avoid it, to avoid her, so after she left the garden she zipped to her own room to change out of the masquerade dress and into her nightgown and then double-timed it to Elsa's room, ducking inside and crawling under the bed to hide and wait for her. After seeing Elsa ice the door, she was very glad she made that decision. "You make a bad habit of avoiding serious issues, Elsa," she said disapprovingly.

Elsa, ignoring her statement, crossed her arms and said abruptly, "Was this your plan all along?"

"What? To hide under your bed?"

"I'm talking about when you came to me with the masquerade idea, the one you insisted on me throwing," Elsa said impatiently, tucking her legs against her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She looked like a frightened little girl, not the regal Queen she was meant to be. "You were quite adamant about the whole disguise thing."

Dumbfounded, Anna said, "Wait, what?" She scoffed and choked on a laugh. "Elsa, I don't know if you're aware, but I'm terrible at planning things. And for me to have planned for any of this to happen, especially that far back? Why, that would imply that I knew… what you would do. And trust me, I had no idea you were so… adventurous. So no, I didn't plan it. I was genuinely interested in attending a masquerade party," she said defensively. "Our meeting and everything that came after? It was plain dumb luck, or fate. However you want to look at it." She smiled. "Trust me, I was surprised as much as you when I found out the truth. The only difference is I didn't have as much snow effects going on…"

"When… when did you know?" Elsa asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

"The next morning, during breakfast." Anna rubbed the back of her neck and snickered. "I actually fainted the moment I realized. You remember that, right?"

Elsa remembered. She also clearly remembered the kiss immediately after. "You figured it out that soon?"

Anna straightened up proudly and said smugly, "Yes, I did." She shrugged, her smile faltering, and brushed an annoying strand of hair that flopped in front of her face behind her ear. "Of course, I kinda freaked a little. I mean, who wouldn't after finding something like that out? I didn't know what to do. I tried bringing the subject up to you a few times but… well, it was a rather difficult subject to bring up, obviously, and honestly, you were totally oblivious to the signs."

Oblivious? Elsa thought back to a few of their most recent encounters that seemed especially intense, particularly the massage session in her study. So Anna had been fully aware of what her actions were doing to her that whole time? She groaned with embarrassment, covering her face with her hands and sinking lower in the bed.

"Then," Anna went on, "I got the idea to write the letter, and I swear it sounded great in my head, but… it didn't go as smoothly as I hoped it would..."

Peeking out from between her fingers before dropping her hands in her lap and shaking her head, Elsa asked, "Seriously, Anna, what were you expecting? Wait, no. Don't answer that." She waved her hand dismissively and sighed, stretching out her legs. Worrying a hangnail that appeared on her thumb after nervously picking at her fingers, she began apologetically, "Anna, I'm so-"

"Don't you DARE apologize to me. I won't accept it," Anna huffed in irritation, shaking a threatening finger in Elsa's direction and scooting closer. "I love you, Elsa, and you love me, right? That is all that matters now."

"What I feel for you isn't love, Anna, don't you see? I mean, I do love you, obviously, but that other thing… it's lust. These feelings… Anna, if you had any idea what's been in my head… The vulgar things I've imagined doing to you, with you…" Elsa stopped herself from continuing, her eyes darkening with a hint of unhidden desire.

It was a look Anna had grown quite familiar with and one that sent pleasant tingles down her spine every time she saw it. "Tell me," Anna pressed quietly, waiting expectantly for her to go on.

Elsa blinked in alarm and cast her eyes down. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

As if I could forget that confession, Anna thought, one side of her lip twitching. "Elsa." Anna placed her hand on Elsa's shin and moved it higher so her hand was resting on her knee.

Elsa stiffened at once, becoming painfully aware of her surroundings for the first time. She was in her room all alone with Anna, the two of them dressed in nothing but their nightgowns and sitting on her bed. Anna's hand wandered past her knee and made itself comfortable on her thigh, rubbing it distractingly. The air was growing thinner, the room stifling. Elsa swallowed thickly, her eyes resting on the glass of water sitting on the table just an arm stretch away, but she was too afraid to move a muscle to reach for it.

"I know you desire me. It's a perfectly natural reaction for people who are in love with each other," Anna assured soothingly. "It doesn't matter that we're siblings. Let's forget that minor detail for a second, okay? The attraction you feel, wanting to touch me, it's normal." Her hand switched from rubbing her upper leg up and down to her fingernails lightly scratching, making circular motions. It caused Elsa's leg to spasm pleasurably and Elsa gritted her teeth to fight down the sensations while Anna continued speaking. "Answer me honestly, do you desire only my body? Is that all you really want from me?"

She was going to say yes, but as Elsa looked at her sister she knew she'd be lying. She wanted Anna's body, oh yes, and constantly thought about pleasuring it more than she liked to admit, but she didn't want only that. Elsa desired so much more than that. She wanted Anna's smiles, her laughs, for those blue-green eyes to look adoringly upon her always and forever. She wanted everything Anna had to offer, she wanted to be shrouded in everything that was Anna.

"I want all of you," Elsa whispered, pain in her eyes.

Anna's fingers squeezed Elsa's thigh. "For how long?"

"Long enough." Elsa admitted hesitantly, "It… it got worse after… after the night of the ball. I imagined I was pleasing you when I thought I was with another." She said it almost inaudibly, but Anna heard her loud and clear thanks to the stillness that permeated the room.

"Oh." Anna flushed at the admission and squirmed in place, surprised and extremely aroused by Elsa's confession. "Wow."

They were both quiet for a brief moment, their gazes averted shyly. Anna continued her movements on Elsa's leg, fingernails lazily scratching her thigh through her thin nightgown. Elsa watched the hypnotizing motion, wishing those nails were actually dragging against her skin and not blocked by the fabric of her gown. But what she wanted didn't matter, she reminded herself. She had to do what was right. Elsa finally stopped her by placing her hand on top of Anna's, sensing they were heading toward dangerous territory and knowing she needed to put a stop to it before anything could happen.

Tiredly, Elsa said, "Look, Anna. It doesn't matter. We can't-"

Infuriated by her sister's unwillingness to see the good in their mutual attraction for each other, Anna snarled aggressively, "Don't make me slap you again."

The outburst startled Elsa but she recovered quickly and cocked an eyebrow, smirking wryly at the threat in amusement, as if daring Anna to do so.

Unintentionally, the expression revealed itself to Anna in a very erotic way, catching her breath and igniting a fire in her belly that spiraled wildly out of control. All and any self control Anna had was lost and she lunged across the bed, diving at her sister hungrily. Her body collided with Elsa's, creating a collective gasp from both of them before Anna crushed their lips together fiercely. Anna's knee appropriated itself between her sister's legs and Elsa's hips jerked reflexively against it, eliciting a strained, breathy moan from her lips while still firmly mated with Anna's. The sound was heaven to Anna's ears and she wanted to hear more of it, craving for that breathless voice to whisper her name with unbridled passion. She shifted her leg slightly and smiled against her sister's lips when Elsa's body jolted at the contact a second time.

Elsa tore her mouth away from the intense kiss with a twist of her head, her fingers digging into her sister's shoulders, and gasped urgently, "Anna!"

Anna lifted her head up dizzily and the two gaped at each other in shock. Her whole body weight flush against her sister's figure, Anna stammered, "Wow, Elsa, I- I don't know what came over me… I didn't mean… I mean, I did but… instincts and all." She shrugged helplessly.

Elsa's entire face was scarlet, her breathing wild and heavy. Her body rigid, she flattened herself into the bed in an attempt to escape the searing heat of Anna's body. But escape was futile when her little sister was glued to her body so tightly, so perfectly and oh so deliciously…

Stop this now before it escalates any further. Elsa's one rational thought forced its way through the foggy haze of desire that was rapidly consuming her. Luckily she still had control of her arms, so she pressed her hands against Anna's shoulders to keep her at bay and managed to say with much difficulty, "It's… okay. Just… get off of me."

Anna's eyes smoldered and she grinned naughtily as she swatted Elsa's hands from her shoulders effortlessly and pushed them to lay on either side of Elsa's head which rested on a soft pillow. Slowly her lips crept toward Elsa's again. "Oh, yes, I'll get off on you," she growled huskily before claiming Elsa's lips once more, the second time equally as heated as the first.

Elsa whimpered her name, her body reduced to a jittery mess of nerves, and Anna wasn't sure if she was calling her name out of fear or if she was urging her on. It didn't matter either way, Anna wasn't turning back now. She drove her knee delicately into Elsa's hot center again, the heat of her sister's most private part scorching and damp even through the fabric covering it.

"Oh, my," Anna said, chuckling. "Someone is very excited." She brushed her lips against Elsa's teasingly. "I wonder if there might be something I can do to rectify that problem?"

"Please," Elsa said wantonly, as her hands came down and planted themselves on Anna's hips. They retreated momentarily before returning to the same position again, then repeated the process as Elsa warred silently with herself. Her hands crept lower and pinched the fabric of Anna's nightgown and started to drag it up so her hands could slip under and meet delicate warm skin. The instant her fingers skimmed the smooth and naked flesh of her sister, she tensed and jerked her hands back as imaginary alarms went off in her head, reminding her what she was doing was wrong. She grew cold, the temperature in the room instantly dropping.

Anna noticed the change and sat up, straddling Elsa and capturing her hands in her own, squeezing them comfortingly. "Don't be afraid to touch me, Elsa. It's alright. Don't let fear overtake you. Don't fear this," she implored as Elsa turned her head and tried to bury her face into the pillow to hide. Anna forced her to look at her by forcefully gripping her face with one hand but Elsa closed her eyes to avoid meeting her eyes. "Elsa, if you continue to hide your feelings on this matter your powers will run amok. Don't think I haven't noticed the coldness whenever we're together! Accept it," she urged. "Embrace it." Nuzzling Elsa's cheek fondly, she leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Let it go."

Her sister's words sank in and Elsa's eyes snapped open in time to see Anna duck down for another kiss, which she barely managed to dodge. Much to Anna's surprise, she ended up making out with a pillow instead of the expected lips of her sister. Before Anna could complain, Elsa grabbed her shoulders with a sudden surge of energy and flipped them so their positions were switched and she was now straddling her little sister.

Elsa was done fighting with herself and she was done fighting with her sister.

She couldn't hold it back anymore.

**AN: Huh. What could possibly happen next, I wonder? Probably nothing interesting...**


	14. Let's Get To The Love Part

Using her position on top of Anna to her advantage, Elsa greedily devoured Anna's lips as her hands voraciously roamed the thinly clothed body beneath her. She moaned breathily into the mouth fused with hers as her lower body pressed tightly into her sister, her sex throbbing, begging for the exhilarating pleasure that was dangling temptingly before her. Bumping her forehead and nose to Anna's, she said hotly, "I've wanted you for so long."

"You have me. I'm yours," Anna said with conviction, reaching up and swiftly undoing Elsa's hair from the bun she wore and freeing her hair of her braid so it fell beautifully around her shoulders and face like a snowy curtain. She wound a lock of luscious hair around her fingers and sighed contentedly as she brushed the softness along the side of her face, enjoying the wonderfulness that was her sister's hair free of inhibition like she always dreamed of.

Elsa watched her, slightly amused by her sister's apparent fondness for her hair. Personally she found her own hair to be nothing special, but Anna's chameleon-like hair on the other hand… that was something to be admired. Anna's unique hair appeared to change color depending on the lighting, and Elsa could never figure out whether it was reddish-orange or a very light brown and she liked the mysteriousness of it. She combed her fingers through Anna's strands and Anna sighed with delight, nudging into the caress like a thoroughly satisfied cat.

Sharing a dreamy gaze, their smiles mirroring each other, the two sisters said in unison, "You're beautiful," which resulted in them both laughing shyly.

Caressing Anna's features with loving eyes and tracing a fingertip against her lips, Elsa asserted, "You're beautifuller." Anna flashed her a skeptical look, as if what she said was absolutely absurd, but Elsa missed it when she leaned in to dab a kiss on both corners of her little sister's mouth before matching their lips together in a deep, full-fledged kiss.

Coming out of the kiss, Anna breathlessly responded, "A duller form of beautiful, maybe." She enjoyed the compliment her sister gave so freely, though compared to her sister she was hardly much to look at. Put the two of them in a room together and all eyes would undoubtedly be on Elsa, and not just because she was the queen. Everything about her was ridiculously amazing and Anna would have argued the point to death with Elsa at any other time but refrained from doing so right then. There were more important matters at hand and she didn't want them getting sidetracked. "You are gorgeous and absolutely exquisite," she stated warmly, and her heart flip-flopped when their eyes locked powerfully. Then Elsa's eyes strayed to her cheeks and fixated there, and when she continued to gawk at her little sister silently, Anna cleared her throat to get her attention. "Elsa?"

"Hm?" Elsa marveled at the freckles that graced Anna's face as her fingers absentmindedly stroked her sister's cheek. The tiny light-brown dots popped out and demanded attention and she licked her lips, wanting to eat them up one by one.

Anna smiled crookedly, her sister's cuteness driving her nuts. She was aching to take charge of the situation, and if she had her way the two of them probably would have been naked and in a sweaty heap by now, but she felt it would be better if she let Elsa take the lead and go at her pace since she was still so tentative about the whole thing. The last thing she wanted to do was scare her off. "You can start whenever you'd like," she hinted, deciding a little coaxing on her part wouldn't hurt to get the ball rolling. "Preferably anytime soon?"

"Oh…" The tiny spurt of confidence Elsa had grown seconds ago shattered when she took in the sight of her sister laying invitingly beneath her, waiting… for her. Nervousness invaded her system and she stopped breathing at the overwhelming-ness of the situation. There was a wonderfully beautiful woman at the tips of her fingers-her baby sister, she reminded herself- and now of all times her brain decided to stop functioning. She was on the cusp of living a moment she'd guiltily dreamed of for so long and she was totally petrified. The reason behind that was simply because this wasn't an insane dream or crazy fantasy she was thinking up in her head. This was different. This was real and happening… and she didn't know where to begin. Elsa felt pathetically useless. "I…"

Giggling at Elsa's perplexed expression and sensing she was having some technical difficulties, Anna suggested, "Why don't we start by removing these bothersome clothes?" Anna wanted nothing between them, remembering the frustration she faced with their first magical encounter and the evil clothing that had separated their bodies from experiencing total bliss. She flicked a finger gently against the material of Elsa's nightgown, wishing it would magically disappear so the ravaging could begin. Unfortunately it wasn't one of Elsa's icy creations and would need to be removed normally.

Her suggestion did little to get Elsa moving and only seemed to make her freeze up even more, so Anna decided to start moving things along. Keeping her impatience in check, she commanded, "Sit up." Elsa obliged and Anna rose from her flat position on the bed so her head was level with Elsa's chest. "Raise your arms above your head. Go on," she prompted when Elsa hesitated. "Unless you would rather have me tear it from your body?" Anna's fingers twitched in preparation to do just that.

Her sister's threat made Elsa think back to her fantasy that took place under the dining room table and the fork that had been involved to remove a specific article of clothing and she snorted with laughter, quickly covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle it.

Unaware of her sister's sudden laughter, but finding it very pleasing to her ears, Anna hesitated only a second before she poked her in the stomach to snap her out of it. "Ahem! Pay attention! Arms. Up. Now," she demanded, and Elsa complied, raising them high. "Good girl." She found the hem of Elsa's nightgown and instructed, "Lift your body up slightly." Elsa did, and finally Anna was able to lift the gown up and over her head, freeing it from confining her sister's glorious body until her bra and panties were the two annoying articles of clothing that remained. Anna intended to fix that problem, but she paused a moment to take in the view of her half naked sister and the paleness of her body and how incredibly hot she looked sitting upon her. It was a thrilling sight that sent a rush of warmth to all the right places.

Self conscious of her sister's heated, predatory gaze aimed solely at her, Elsa attempted to cover herself by pulling her hair to her front as if to use it as a shield, but one sharp glare from Anna stopped her. She blushed and murmured bashfully, "I feel naked when you look at me like that."

Anna raised an incredulous eyebrow and chortled at that. "Oh, Elsa, you're so silly! I intend to have you fully naked very shortly," she promised determinedly.

Sliding her hands around to Elsa's back, Anna allowed her fingers to caress and linger on her skin before they found the clasp to her bra and smoothly unhooked it. She slipped the straps down Elsa's arms and discarded the item hastily as her eyes trained on the two very beautiful, very perfect looking breasts she'd unveiled. "Well, hello there," she purred sweetly as her hands came up to greet the soft mounds and erect nipples that protruded from their center. Anna was very glad of her position then as her mouth was at just the right angle for her to take a plump breast into her mouth and she did so happily, letting her tongue swirl around the nipple attentively before switching to the other breast, lavishing an equal amount of attention on both so neither would feel left out.

Elsa groaned and leaned into the contact, her hands pressing Anna's head against her breasts, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her sister's warm mouth on her sensitive flesh. The only thing that would make it a whole lot better was if Anna was in a similar state of undress. Finding it was very unfair that Anna was still clothed while she was precariously close to being fully exposed, Elsa released her and pulled at Anna's nightgown. "Off," she said impatiently.

"Ooh, somebody's a little feisty pants, aren't we?" Anna nipped her nose playfully and snapped the rim of Elsa's panties, causing the older woman to jump in surprise, releasing a sharp, startled cry. Laughing at the dirty look she was given, Anna said, "Fine, but rid yourself of these for me, will you?"

Elsa rolled to the side, getting off of Anna to allow her to disrobe and so she herself could remove her last piece of clothing. She started to do exactly that but got distracted when her attention turned to Anna. She watched as her sister wriggled out of her nightgown and unabashedly stripped out of her bra and panties until she was entirely naked, free for Elsa's eyes to sweep over appreciatively.

The first thing Elsa noticed was how surprisingly tan Anna's lean frame was. Everywhere. There was not one part of her body that had a hint of paleness. Did she sunbathe in the nude? Where did she find the privacy to do this and when? The next thing she noticed was the freckles. Freckles peppered and hidden away in areas she'd never seen before, even a small cluster between her small but lovely breasts.

In a flash Elsa reclaimed her previous position astride Anna, bringing her tongue to press between Anna's bosom to lick and taste her skin and the freckles that marked her body, to show them the love they rightly deserved. Her right palm grazed over one of Anna's hardened nipples while her lips and tongue dragged across her skin and latched on to the unoccupied breast, suckling it.

As Elsa feasted on Anna's chest, Anna took the time to liberally feel all of Elsa's body, or at least wherever her hands could reach. Her hands roamed her back, drifting down the ridges of her spine and easing even lower to grasp the Queen's bare buttocks… or what should have been bare buttocks. Instead of the warm, rounded flesh she was expecting to feel, Anna's hands met unpleasant fabric and she sighed with exasperation before bellowing, "Elsa!"

"Mm?" Elsa hummed without taking her mouth from her breast and not having a single clue as to why Anna sounded annoyed, too busy at her immensely enjoyable task.

Anna pushed Elsa off of her roughly, receiving a loud bark of complaint in the process, and made her lay back, reversing their positions. She hovered over the Queen, giving Elsa another opportunity to take in her nakedness with admiring eyes that quickly evolved into one of longing and hunger. Elsa grabbed her by the waist to bring their bodies together but Anna, her hands pressed against the bed alongside Elsa's head, locked her elbows and forced her body to go rigid, keeping herself in place to prevent that from happening. Oh, she wanted the contact so damn much and ached terribly for their bodies to mesh as one and was practically dying from prolonging it further, but as long as Elsa's panties were in the way she wouldn't let it happen just yet. She was very adamant about the clothes dilemma. Anna wanted to feel and enjoy all of Elsa and not just bits and pieces at a time, so she would take care of the issue in question… and have a little fun while she was down there.

"Come here," Elsa begged, stretching her arms out with the intention to encircle the Princess and yank her closer, wanting to feel Anna's body against her own.

"If you had listened to me in the first place we'd already be there," Anna scolded kindly, batting her arms away. She smirked when she heard Elsa huff with annoyance before making her way south.

Leaning up on her elbows, Elsa eyed Anna as she traveled down the length of her body and hooked her fingers into the band of Elsa's underwear. She tugged on it and Elsa raised her hips to allow Anna to remove the article of clothing with ease. The Queen bit back a moan as the tips of the Princess's fingers tantalizingly stroked her legs on their sliding journey down, and as soon as her panties were off and flung out of sight, she again reached out to Anna.

But Anna ignored her outstretched arms and put her hands on Elsa's calves. "Bend your knees, please," she said calmly. Elsa's legs started to tremble and her eyes widened, but she obeyed and spread them without being asked. Anna smiled at how eager her sister was and situated herself till she was in a comfortable position, her head floating inches away from her sister's exposed, hot and dripping sex.

"Oh, Elsa, look at you!" Anna exclaimed in amazement, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she took in the sight before her. "You're soaking wet! Let me take care of that for you. Let me please my queen," she said adoringly.

"Anna…" Elsa whispered, want and need coating her voice. Seeing Anna in the position she was in, knowing what her sister was about to do, Elsa foresaw her untimely death, albeit a pleasant one. Her sex clenched and the pounding pulse within her center quickened with anticipation. She gazed into Anna's expectant, sparkling eyes and nodded imperceptibly her consent.

Wasting no time, Anna separated Elsa's intimate lips with her fingers, revealing the engorged gem hidden between them. She rubbed and pressed a finger against it to test Elsa's reaction and heard her sister exhale shakily. She replaced her finger with her lips, planting a faint kiss that sparked a nerve twitch and was rewarded with a hiss of pleasure and a slight raising of her sister's hips. Anna blew her breath against the sensitive nub and flicked her tongue out to sample a taste of her sister's happy juices and concluded she was getting a taste of heaven. It was sweet and delectable and, dare she say it, better than chocolate. It was definitely right up there with krumkake. She couldn't get enough of it, she wanted more. Anna thrust her tongue between the folds and licked anywhere her tongue could wriggle, selfishly lapping up the precious nectar that Elsa so generously produced, not wanting to waste one single drop.

Elsa's hands found Anna's hair and her fingers curled into her scalp and pushed Anna into her most private part as the pleasure intensified greatly. She arched into her mouth and moaned loudly as Anna's tongue alternated from teasing her extended nub to thoroughly scrutinizing the walls around it, even going so far as to dip daringly into her inviting cavern. Anna's mouth was doing an excellent job and Elsa yearned for the touch of her hands as well, for her fingers to be deep inside her.

It was like Anna read her mind, for as soon as the thought popped into Elsa's brain, Anna tentatively inserted a finger inside her. But she withdrew it quickly, unsure of herself, afraid of hurting her sister. Anna was very inexperienced in the art of fingering. She'd never dared to even do it to herself while masturbating, sticking to the simple task of touching and rubbing to reach her satisfaction, and so she wasn't familiar or certain of the right way to do it. It didn't matter, because all of her attentive administrations on Elsa's center had gotten Elsa so worked up that when Anna took her nub between her teeth and ever so gently bit down on it, Elsa lost it.

Wresting her hands from Anna's head to avoid seriously injuring her, either by suffocating her or fracturing her skull, Elsa grappled the sheets so hard her nails punctured the fabric as she bucked and thrashed, riding her sister's face as an orgasm slammed into her forcibly. "Anna!" Elsa cried out, untangling one hand from the sheet to slap it over her mouth too late in a poor attempt to muffle the shout as her excitement gushed from her quivering body into Anna's awaiting mouth.

Anna didn't skip a beat and diligently licked her clean, the biggest self-satisfied grin ever spreading onto her face after having the thrilling experience of bringing her big sister to a shattering release, screaming her name. She could get used to this routine every day. Every day… Hm. Now that was a grand idea.

Frantic hands reached down and pawed at her face, making Anna glance up from what was now her favorite spot in the whole world. Worried eyes met hers and Elsa, gasping for breath, asked concerned, "Did… did I hurt you?"

Laughter burst from Anna. She could still feel the ghost of Elsa's strong grasp on her head but she felt no pain and her jaw was still intact, teeth and all, so no damage done there either. "I'm more than fine. Wow, Elsa, I never knew you could be so wild!" she gushed, and if Elsa wasn't already so red to begin with Anna was certain she'd be blushing outrageously at her remark.

Crawling up Elsa's body, Anna trailed light kisses from her crotch and along her abdomen, skimming daintily past her bellybutton until she reached her breasts. While her tongue swiped viciously at one breast's nipple, she brought one hand up to fondle the other breast, massaging it.

She had just finished wrapping her mouth comfortably around the plush mass when she was violently detached, her mouth popping off with a wet smacking sound, as Elsa hauled her up and kissed her hard, shoving her tongue demandingly inside Anna's mouth and scraping it along Anna's teeth, probing and tasting her. Anna's tongue intercepted and clashed boldly with hers and they tangled in a frenzy, neither one submitting to the other until Anna pressed their bodies together and ground her mound against Elsa's. The sudden friction made both girls moan simultaneously into each other's mouth and encouraged Anna to proceed with the motion.

Elsa broke away from the kiss and trained her mouth below Anna's chin, planting kisses on her collarbone and the side of her neck, leaving wet trails behind. "Anna…?" she gasped as the younger girl moved above her in a gloriously sinful dance.

Anna's hands clung tightly to Elsa's shoulders as she rocked against her sister, rolling her hips languidly, rubbing their flesh together at just the right spot and amplifying the promise of sweet release. "Yes?" she rasped as she felt the feathery touch of Elsa's lips at her neck. She raised her chin, turning her head to expose her throat and offer it willingly to eager lips.

"I want…" Elsa's lips danced upon Anna's throat. Finding her lively pulse, she clamped her mouth onto it firmly, sucking on it ravenously.

"What do… you want, Elsa?" Anna asked, her voice strained as she closed her eyes and groaned at the building pressure between her legs, which was quickly approaching the unbearable point.

"I…want… ah!" Elsa buried her face into Anna's neck as her sister picked up the pace, moving faster against her, pressing harder into her, making it nearly impossible to form coherent words. A groan rumbled deep within her chest and she clutched her little sister's back desperately, trying to drive Anna closer to her, relishing the sultry skin on skin contact. Her lips worked their way up to Anna's ear, nibbling her earlobe, and in a labored but intoxicating tone she said, "I… need… to taste… you."

Those needy words whispered so tenderly into her ear did it for Anna. Crashing their lower bodies together with one hard thrust, she became a volcano as heat lanced through her body and hot liquid erupted from her like lava. "Yes! Elsa!"

Elsa bit down hard on her own tongue to successfully squelch another outburst in order to prevent herself from drowning out Anna's excited exclamations as she too reached her peak for the second time. The sound of her name spilling forth with reckless abandon from her sister's lips was very satisfying… but she needed more, so much more. Without allowing Anna to catch her breath, she entwined their legs together and rolled their bodies so the younger girl was now trapped under her once again.

This time Elsa knew what to do, she knew what she wanted.

And she was going to take it.

Her hands groped and kneaded her sister's pert breasts as her head descended downward and she trailed her tongue along Anna's body, her taste buds reveling the sheen of sweat that coated her sister's deliciously freckled skin. Once she reached her intended destination, she withdrew her hands from their previous position and parted Anna's legs, focusing all her attention on her glistening sex. Elsa gripped Anna's firm thighs tensely and momentarily caught Anna's eyes, grinning wickedly before bowing her head and getting a good, strong whiff of the heady excretion that drenched the Princess's inner thighs, and oh was it ten times better than she imagined! Elsa's mouth watered and she experienced a wave of dizziness. She tightened her hold on Anna as she fought to remain upright and not pass out embarrassingly in front of her, though the area her face would land would not be wholly unpleasant. Of course, she preferred to be wide awake and not unconscious when that happened…

Placing a hand to her burning face, she shook her head and told herself to focus.

Unknowingly, Elsa had spoken the words out loud and received a chuckle from Anna in response, who inquired with a playful twinkle in her eyes, "Is everything alright down there?"

Giving her a furtive glance, Elsa stuck her tongue out at her, and the Princess laughed at the childish action that was so unexpected of a queen. Then Elsa teased Anna's moist slit with her index finger, which promptly shut the Princess up and caused her breath to hitch. With her finger now coated with Anna's essence, Elsa wrapped her tongue around it and licked it clean, tasting the poison that was sure to kill her. She couldn't help moaning as the sweet flavor invaded her mouth, exciting her even more, causing her own wetness to further dampen her thighs. Returning her finger to her sister's sex, Elsa slipped it past her folds and found Anna's lovely pink lump. Taking it between her forefinger and thumb, she paused as she felt the bundle pulsing at her touch, like a miniature heart beating. She pinched it, giving it a solid squeeze, and Anna's hips lurched desperately toward her hand. Elsa gladly palmed her lady lips and pushed into her center, emitting a breathy gasp from her sister whose hips greedily rocked into her. Anna locked her own hands on top of Elsa's and pressed her harder to her, grinding against her.

Realizing things were getting too carried away before she had her fill of her special dessert, Elsa removed her trapped hand by force and heard Anna grumble her displeasure of being denied her touch. But she did not dally for long, ducking her head and allowing her lips to meet the fuzzy exterior of her sister's lower lips, dipping the tip of her tongue between the slick slit. Her tongue flitted graciously inside the folds, exploring and eagerly scooping up the smooth as honey fluid, letting it dribble down her throat, savoring it while she had the chance. If it were possible, Elsa would have bottled it up and saved it for future enjoyment, her very own one of a kind wine.

Elsa growled against her, sending pleasant vibrations surging through Anna's body, and Anna cursed incoherently, her body jerking and twisting at the sensation as her fingers came up and sank into the angelic white-blond hair of her sister.

While her tongue coveted her sister's precious jewel and Anna writhed on the bed, tugging on her hair, Elsa's fingers probed Anna's entrance gently. She carefully slipped inside, allowing Anna's body to acclimate to her intruding fingers. She looked to her sister to see if she was causing her any pain or discomfort, but Anna's droopy eyes and how her body clenched and unclenched around Elsa's fingers said otherwise. She flexed inside her and listened to the breath rushing from Anna's lips as she grasped the sheets and crumpled them in her hands.

Initially when she started, Elsa had planned to stay rooted where she was, but the desire to look into her sister's eyes as she brought her to release was too overpowering. With her fingers still comfortably inside the Princess, Elsa moved up Anna's body and lay on top of her so they were face to face, breast to breast. Their nipples rubbed together enticingly and sent sparks of electricity through their bodies, causing them both to suck in air at the touch. Elsa brushed their lips together, the touch light and delicate, and kissed her tenderly before she started moving her hand within her slowly.

"Wait, wait… stop."

Elsa froze at the breathless command and immediately began to withdraw her hand, reverting to her retreat mode, but Anna wrapped her own hand around her wrist and kept her firmly in place, shaking her head emphatically. "Oh, no. Don't stop. Don't you fucking dare. That's… not what I meant," Anna said gruffly, her breath shallow. "I want to feel you, too, but I don't know how, exactly. Show me what to do," she begged.

"It's okay, Anna. You don't have to," Elsa said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I want to," Anna insisted. "I want to make you feel the way you're making me feel. Please, Elsa."

Her breath caught in her throat at the earnest plea and Elsa swallowed before nodding and whispered, "Okay." She temporarily removed her fingers from inside Anna since it would have been slightly awkward with one hand buried between Anna's legs while she used her other to show Anna what to do. She took Anna's trembling hand and kissed her knuckles to calm her before guiding it to her crotch. Anna's fingers tickled her sensitive nub teasingly as they passed it by and Elsa jerked into her at the feeling and shivered pleasantly. When the mischievous fingers found her entrance, Elsa directed the wriggly digits inside her, enveloping them with a quiet grunt and a whimper of relief.

"Oh, wow," Anna gasped, feeling Elsa's steaming inner walls contract around her fingers. It was a new, marvelous feeling. She moved her fingers inside, feeling around the squishy interior and Elsa slammed her eyes closed and moaned, tipping her head back in ecstasy. A promising sign, but Anna felt the need to ask, "Am I doing it right?" Curling her fingers, she brushed them against the Queen's warm and moist walls.

A whine escaping her, Elsa bit her bottom lip as her hips bucked to bring forth more pleasure from Anna's inquisitive fingers and said breathily, "Yes, Anna, yes. Just… just… Ooh. Like that." She listened to her own embarrassingly loud panting, taking in the pleasure that her sister was so willing and eager to reciprocate, before she gathered herself enough to swiftly fill Anna once more with her own slender fingers. Carefully she settled her weight on top of Anna again, and after a few fumbling attempts, they managed to find a working rhythm between them, their sweat mixing as one as they gyrated together in a synchronized pace.

"Keep going. Please, don't stop," Elsa panted, pressing their foreheads together, granting them both the opportunity to look deeply into one another's eyes as their wrists bumped and fingers feverishly pumped.

Her sister's heavy breathing was like sweet chocolate to her ears, and Anna only needed one more thing to make the moment perfect and complete. "Say my name," Anna breathed throatily between thrusts as her eyes remained fixed on her sister's. Her eyelids felt heavy, and while the urge to close them and just feel the wonderful sensations put upon her was overwhelming, she fought it, not wanting to miss the sight of her queen unraveling before her.

Elsa was more than happy to oblige her request, her sister's name already on the tip of her tongue. "Mm. Anna… my Anna. My sweet, lovely, precious princess."

"Oh, Elsa!" Happy tears sprang to her eyes and Anna threw her free arm around Elsa's neck to hug her as the pleasure intensified upon hearing the terms of endearment.

Aside from the imminent pressure building down below, Elsa felt an exhilarating wave of peace wash over her. Any fear or pain she'd previously felt was cleansed from her body as she experienced for the first time in forever genuine bliss, undeniable happiness. Elsa felt like she was where she needed to be all along, and where she belonged was in her sister's arms. Anna was correct; it felt too right to be wrong. It all was so perfectly clear to Elsa. Anna was not just her favorite sister, her best friend or her lover… she was her one true love, her life, her everything.

Their pace rapidly became frantic, and as Elsa reached her crest she engulfed Anna's lips fervently and groaned loudly as their bodies convulsed together and a tsunami of pleasure ripped into them forcefully. Anna was the first to pull out as a sharp bolt of intense but pleasant coldness unlike anything she'd ever experienced shot into her from Elsa's fingertips, filling her, wrenching a scream from deep within as unyielding tremors shook her body. As her scream dissipated, Anna took Elsa's face between shaky hands and brutally returned the kiss, fueled by pure passion and love. Elsa wiggled her fingers one last time, causing Anna to moan scrumptiously into her mouth and Elsa joyfully gobbled it down.

Refusing to break contact with each other as their climaxes subsided, they continued tumbling wildly in bed, kissing passionately as hands roved and stroked to calm pounding hearts and to soothe the burning heat that radiated from their spent bodies.

"Mm! Elsa… You're amazing! You're perfect," Anna gasped with elation, punctuating the end of each sentence with short, possessive but insistent kisses.

When they finally pulled apart they were a quivering, sweaty mess.

But a good sweaty mess, Anna thought with a giddy laugh as they both lay on their sides, facing each other, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Anna brushed a wet strand of Elsa's hair and tucked it behind her ear. Threading her fingers together behind Elsa's neck, she head butted her lovingly and murmured, "Look at you."

"I'd rather look at you," Elsa said, resting her hands on Anna's hips and cuddling close to her, feeling completely at ease.

Anna said soulfully, "I love you, Elsa."

Raining a flurry of kisses upon her little sister's eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, and finally ending with a lasting peck on Anna's lips, Elsa tenderly responded, "I love you so much, Anna."

Anna snuggled into her embrace, her lips resting comfortably against Elsa's neck. She inhaled Elsa's all natural luxurious scent as she closed her eyes, allowing sweet exhaustion to sneak up on her. "I am never letting you go," she mumbled. A promising vision of them bathing together in the morning flashed in her head and she smiled before drifting contentedly to sleep.

With her heart dancing merrily in her chest, Elsa was lulled to sleep by Anna's strong, steady breathing and the warming caress of her breath at the hollow of her throat, looking forward to tomorrow and everything that was to come after.


	15. Crash Landing Back To Reality

**AN: This chapter is my longest chapter yet! It's over 9,000 words! :o Um, so yeah... I want to apologize for a few things. One, the lateness of this chapter. Unfortunately my supply of already written chapters has run out so unless I can get myself ahead again, from here on out I'm working on them as I go... Next apology and a heads up for my much appreciated readers, there's going to be lots of angst and hurt coming. D: *cringes* Don't hate me, please!  
**

_Elsa and Anna were naked on top of the Queen's bed making love. Their bodies moved as one in a graceful dance of sweet pleasure, their breathy moans a beautiful chorus. A light snowfall began, the white powder appearing from thin air and dusting the lovers' bare flesh, but strangely the flakes held not an ounce of chill, only comforting, pleasant warmth._

_There was no wrong in this, only right, and it was spectacular. Elsa was finally able to let go and truly be happy for once. There was no place in the world she wanted to be, for she was exactly where she belonged. "I don't care what they're going to say," she gasped into her sister's mouth as they moved against each other in perfect harmony._

_"It doesn't matter what anyone thinks," Anna agreed, panting along with her. "We're meant to be together. It's true love."_

_The two were so engrossed with one another that neither noticed the abrupt change in scenery. Instead of Elsa's bedroom, and instead of laying on top of ruffled sweat and sex drenched sheets upon a massive bed, the two naked women were suddenly on the hard, polished floor of the Great Hall. The difference didn't register for Elsa until she felt Anna shiver beneath her as the coldness of the floor nipped her back, and only then did she become acutely aware of their strange, new location._

_But before she could fully adjust to the peculiar change, the giant double doors swung wide open and a stream of people barged in and the room was unexpectedly abuzz with chatter and laughter as bodies swished and swayed to nonexistent music. The people danced without a care in the world as if they were all attending any old ball, and the weirdest part was that nobody appeared to notice or take interest in the two frozen women wrapped around each other on the floor despite them being dead center of the large room.  
_

_"Elsa?" Anna whispered fearfully, her eyes asking her elder what they were going to do, trapped where they were._

_"Shh." Elsa believed if they remained still no one would notice them. Ridiculous as it was, it seemed to be working well so far._

_Their invisibility came to an end as a man resembling a combination of Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton approached them. The man had Hans' physique and striking looks, sideburns included, mixed with the Duke's obnoxiously pointy nose and mustache._

_Weslhans bowed dramatically and stuck his hand out to her. "Queen Elsa, would you care to dance with me?"_

_She eyed the offered hand incredulously. Was this man serious? Elsa wanted to laugh at the ludicrous situation but paralysis had rendered her immovable. She could barely croak out a pathetic response. "No..."_

_The man sneered maliciously, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, I see. You only dance with your sister, is that it?" he said, putting great emphasis on the word 'dance'._

_The atmosphere shifted then, an eerie hush blanketing the crowded room as every single pair of eyes settled on Elsa and Anna and their incriminating position all at once. And then the room erupted into chaos as cries of horror and exclamations of disgust rang out. Extended fingers pointed accusingly as enraged citizens shouted, creating a deafening roar inside the giant room._

_"Monster!"_

_"Abomination!"_

_"Savage, vile witch!"_

_Elsa scrambled into action, bringing herself and Anna to a standing position and hurriedly covering their naked bodies by shrouding them in clothing made of ice as the angry mob enclosed around them. She heard Anna whimper as her lithe body trembled furiously against her, and Elsa's own body mirrored the action as newly formed sweat gathered on her face. Frantically, she scanned her eyes across the crowd for an escape route, but the room was too packed with bodies and there was nowhere for them to go._

_"Would we expect less from our wretched Queen?"_

_"It's not surprising of the Queen, no. But the Princess… now that's a shock."_

_"A shock? Ha! Hardly! The Princess is so easy and desperate for love she would literally let any THING touch her…"_

_"Elsa, what have you done?"_

_Hearing the all too familiar stern voice of her father, Elsa spun around to face the direction it was coming from and saw their parents embracing each other, looking back at her scornfully with unconcealed disgust. The late queen's face contorted and she released a shuddering sob and buried her face in her husband's shoulder, clutching the lapels of his coat. The former king turned his body as if to shield his wife from the unsightly presence of their eldest daughter, but his hateful gaze remained fixed on Elsa and his upper lip curled up. "I told you to conceal it! Don't feel it! Don't ever let it show!" he roared in outrage._

_"No…" Elsa whimpered and staggered back a step as Anna stiffened in her arms._

_"You don't understand! It's true love!" Anna cried, but her words went unheeded, drowned out by the disdainful screams and shouts circulating through the room._

_And then one disembodied voice projected louder than all the rest: "They must die for their sinful ways! Kill them!"_

_KILL!? The word sent an agonizing jolt down Elsa's spine and the scraping sound as every body in the room whipped swords out of nowhere intensified it. "No!" Elsa cried, eyes wild with fear as the swords were raised and pointed at them, the steely points glinting brightly in the light. Horrified, Elsa watched as the crowd charged at them. She slammed her eyes shut as her powers surged violently inside her in response to the impending attack, building up to impossibly high levels until she couldn't contain it anymore. She shoved Anna to the floor just in time as an uncontrollable explosion of blinding white snow and ice unleashed from her._

_When she opened her eyes she found Anna and herself running barefoot through the castle halls, fleeing for their lives. Somehow, and she had no idea how they managed it, they fled the overstuffed room unscathed, breaking through the wall of bodies armed with sharp swords intent on bringing harm to them. Checking over her shoulder to see if they were being followed, Elsa saw no one chasing them and figured the burst of power that spilled from her had granted them a merciful reprieve but there was no telling how long they had before they were pursued._

_Once out of the castle and beyond the closed gates, which she was forced to blast open with her powers, they continued running until they reached the fjord. Elsa felt déjà vu and thought back to the night of her coronation when she stomped the ground where the water met the land and the fjord gradually iced over, much too slow for her liking. She stepped onto the ice, making sure it was safe for them to cross before lurching forward, tugging Anna along with her._

_Anna found her voice and asked panicked, clinging to Elsa's hand desperately as they ran, "What are we going to do? Where are we going to go?" _

_"I don't know!" Elsa's ice castle was out of the question. It wasn't safe. Few knew of its existence but it wouldn't take long for the mob to discover its whereabouts and torch it to the ground. "Somewhere far away from here." Regardless of where they were going, it would require lots of traveling and they would need supplies to survive the journey, and that was something they were obviously lacking._

_There was no hope, she realized in despair, and a fierce, gut wrenching pain lanced through her body, causing her to retch and double over before she sank to her knees. "I've doomed us both…" she choked out._

_"No." Anna knelt in front of her and squeezed her hand comfortingly, forcing a sad, timid smile . "We'll get through this. I know we can." She finished with a soft, "I trust you, Elsa."_

_A crossbow bolt whooshed past their heads, flying through the minuscule space that separated them and impaling itself in the ice slightly ahead of their position. They jerked away from each other in shock, the blood draining from their faces. They were being shot at!_

_Move! Adrenaline pumping, Elsa tackled Anna and sent them rolling across the ice just in time as another bolt barreled through the air in the very spot they had been standing moments before._

_Elsa stood and let her powers loose, swiftly building a wall of ice to protect their backs from more incoming bolts. Once the wall was erected, she yanked Anna to her feet, keeping a watchful eye behind them, and pushed the younger girl in front of her, urging her to run, yelling, "Go, go!" But they didn't get very far before the temporary ice barricade she built shattered in a sparkling explosion as a barrage of bolts crashed into it. Elsa cursed and tried several more attempts at shielding them, to give them some more time to escape, but each attempted ice shield she crafted was frailer than the last and eventually the bolts zipped through the ice harmlessly, as if it were made out of flimsy paper or it wasn't there at all._

_Giving up on a shield, Elsa focused on shooting the bolts out of the air as they hurdled towards them, but it was difficult to do while on the move and with the sheer number of bolts coming towards them at once. Many zinged dangerously close to their mark, Elsa barely deflecting one that would have struck her in the shoulder and another aimed straight for her head. They were getting closer and closer with every passing moment and she couldn't afford to let any slip past her and injure Anna. Channeling all her anger into her hands, which were beginning to burn painfully from the excessively aggressive use, she continued to fend off the unending onslaught._

_All she had to do was keep it up until they made it all the way across the fjord and into the woods. With the protection of the trees and the darkness hiding them, they might stand a cha-_

_A bolt whizzed past her face, drawing blood as it grazed her right cheek, and Elsa heard a sickening wet thump as the bolt impacted against something soft and yielding and Anna let out an anguished cry. Whirling to face the horrific sound and the source behind it, Elsa froze as she took in the sight of a bolt protruding from Anna's chest._

_"ANNA!" Elsa wailed, lunging forward and snatching her sister's hand to take her into her arms as terror consumed her and the blood in her veins froze._

_Anna's hand was unnaturally heavy and slipped out of Elsa's reach, and she stumbled back as blood trickled urgently from the hideous fatal wound. Feebly, Anna uttered her last word as the life drained from her eyes, "El…sa." And then her body, instead of crumpling to the ice in a bloody heap, inexplicably solidified into a statue of ice._

_"NO!" Elsa screamed, throwing herself onto the once living, breathing body of her dear, innocent sister. "No, Anna, no!" She squeezed the icy statue with all her might, hoping her undeniable love would once again magically bring her sister back to life. "Please, please, don't leave me!" she begged, desperation clogging her throat as her sister's condition refused to change. Still holding on tightly, she brought her lips up and kissed the chilling glassy ones that not too long ago had held warmth. "Please, Anna…"_

_The ice she was clinging to shifted under her and a sliver of hope flashed before her eyes and she dared to pull away to see for herself what was happening. _

_Large cracks formed all over Anna's icy body, dark red fluid seeping out of the crevices. Elsa recoiled at the sight of it, and the small spark of hope left in her vanished as her sister's blood gushed from her frozen corpse and pooled into a puddle at her feet. The cracks steadily grew larger and larger and then Anna's body burst without warning, spraying mists of blood and sending shards of ice flying in all directions. Blood splattered on Elsa and bits and pieces of ice imbedded into her flesh, cutting the Queen deeply and she howled in agony, but not because of the pain from her physical wounds._

_Nothing was more painful than seeing her sister decimated right before her eyes. Her bubbly, lovable sister… wiped off the face of the earth in a few short seconds as if she never even existed. Where Anna should have been standing was emptiness. No body, no trace of her having been there other than the blood that was left on the iced over fjord_

_Elsa's legs no longer had the will to support her and she crashed to the ground on her hands and knees, splashing into the sickening puddle that had once been Anna's life essence. All that was left of her dear Anna… Sharp, relentless tears stabbed at her eyes as Elsa wept, clenching her hands and grabbing up fistfuls of the blood. "What have I done?" she lamented._

_The belligerent horde of citizens gathered on the fjord and swarmed the mourning Queen like vultures, cackling gleefully at her suffering. Arms around each other, they merrily sang a morbid song to the tune of Elsa's very own "Let It Go." "Anna's dead, Anna's dead! She's nothing but a bloody mess! She is dead, she is dead! And the perverted Queen will join her next!" _

_Anna's dead! The unpleasant words were like jagged icicles drilling into her ears. She tried to shut them out by covering her ears but that seemed to intensify the volume of the mocking, singing voices. Unable to stand the torture, Elsa screamed. She screamed mindlessly until her throat was raw and bleeding and she couldn't scream anymore._

_Then the same man who had asked to dance with Elsa, Weslhans, came up behind her, grinning maniacally. "Aren't you going to kiss her goodbye? Here, allow me to assist you!" He shoved his boot into the back of her head, smashing her face roughly to the bloodied ground, rubbing it into the pool of blood with relish. _

_Elsa didn't make an attempt to fight him, she had no reason to. Nothing mattered to her anymore. She'd lost the one and only thing that had meant anything to her, and it was all her fault._

_"What a pathetic excuse of a Queen you are. What a pathetic excuse of a daughter, never mind a sister! It's time to put this disgusting, putrid monster down." Weslhans removed his boot from its crushing position and was handed a loaded crossbow. He hefted it in his hands, nodding with satisfaction at its sturdy weight. He then aimed it at the back of Elsa's head, pressing the bolt tip into her hair, stabbing her skull. "Any last words, Your Majesty?"_

_Her eyes closed, face still pressed flat against the ground, tasting the blood of her sister on her lips, Elsa whispered, "I'm so sorry, Anna. For everything…" _

_Weslhans released the bolt with a triumphant smirk._

* * *

Elsa's eyes snapped open and she exhaled sharply, breathing harshly against the fuzzy, coppery nape of the neck that her nose was pressed as close as she could get to without suffocating herself. Her hold around the body she was currently spooning tightened in an almost constricting manner.

Anna woke up with a start, grunting at the burst of hot air assaulting her neck, and then she screeched as what felt like chilling icicles wrapped around her bare skin and she wrenched herself violently out of the embrace, vaulting out of the bed and tripping herself in the process when her foot got caught in the sheets.

Saving her face from making an acquaintance with the floor, Anna righted herself and shouted, "Holy shit, cold!" as she danced on the tips of her toes, her teeth chattering crazily. She hugged herself in an attempt to warm up and was momentarily confused about where she was. Surveying her surroundings, she noted she was not in her own room. The room she was currently in was much larger than her own and it also had a piano, whereas Anna's didn't. At least not the last time she checked… Anna couldn't play one to save her life. So where…?

Oh, that's right, she was in Elsa's bedroom, Anna remembered. A grin spread across her lips as her eyes settled on the bed and the lone figure that occupied it. A pleasant warmth radiated from her body, chasing away the chill that had snuck up on her, as she recalled what exactly they'd done together and she shivered with delicious delight instead.

"Oh, gosh, Elsa! I forgot you were here! I mean, I forgot I was here because this is your room, after all, and your bed we are sharing and… heh, we're totally naked." Anna covered her mouth, giggling, and jumped back onto the bed, playfully punching the supine form of sister in the shoulder. "That was so mean of you to use your powers on me like…" She trailed off, her smile evaporating instantly when she noticed the tear tracks running down Elsa's face and discovered she was hyperventilating. "Elsa! Are you alright?" she asked alarmed, finding her sister's hands and noting how they were shaking tremendously. But it wasn't just her hands, Anna realized. Her sister's entire body was trembling uncontrollably. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Elsa didn't answer her as she moved to a sitting position, pulling her hands away from Anna to hold her head, her eyes squeezed shut as if she were dealing with an excruciating pain.

Anna didn't know what to make of her sister's behavior. Was she still fearing their newly formed relationship? A sickening feeling settled at the bottom of Anna's stomach. She refused to believe that, not after the heavenly and oh so loving night they shared, especially when she saw how perfectly content Elsa had been afterwards. There was no mistaking the happiness she saw in Elsa then. So what could have possibly happened in such a short time to change Elsa so drastically? Anna wondered. Seeing her sister in her current state was scary and whatever was causing it, Anna was determined to get to the bottom of it. She reached for Elsa's hands again, her fingers grazing her skin. "Elsa."

Flinching at the touch, Elsa furiously wiped the wet tracks on her cheeks. She rolled off the bed stark naked, and if Anna wasn't so upset about the awful turn of events, she would have admired the full, unhindered beauty that was her sister's body gleefully. She couldn't avoid the stirring that formed in her abdomen at the sight, but she pushed those feelings aside for the moment.

"Elsa," Anna called again.

"You have to go, Anna," Elsa said hoarsely, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"What?" Anna had a difficult time swallowing the lump that lodged in her throat. So they were back to this again. "Oh, no. No, no, no," she said, shaking her head adamantly, immediately joining Elsa's side. Every bone in her body was itching to reach out, her instincts telling her to comfort her, but she refrained from touching her knowing she would likely be rejected again. "I'm not going anywhere. Tell me what's wrong."

Elsa's face was fixed in a deep and dreadfully unsettling frown and she said nothing as she started gathering up the clothes that were haphazardly strewn around the room while Anna followed her around like a second shadow.

Watching her every movement, loathing the silent treatment she was receiving and hating how Elsa wouldn't look at her, Anna pleaded, "Talk to me, Elsa, please!"

Once all the clothing was picked up, Elsa thrust Anna's at her without a glance in her direction. "Please, just go, Anna."

Turning her nose up at the clothes presented to her as if they were the most disgusting things to ever be in her presence, Anna refused to take them. She yelped in surprise when Elsa practically threw them at her and bristled, narrowing her eyes at the retreating back of her sister as she disappeared into the bathroom. Removing her panties from its position on her face where it had landed, Anna barked, "I don't know what the issue is, but we can't fix the problem if you don't communicate with me, Elsa!" She released a frustrated groan and stared dejectedly at the floor, muttering under her breath, "You are so damn infuriating."

Elsa stood in front of the sink and splashed water on her face as if to hide the new torrent of tears leaking from her eyes. Her breath coming hard and fast, she clung on to the porcelain sides, her fingers turning white from the death grip. "Anna, please..." she pleaded, the words heavily encased with fear and desperation.

"Elsa." Anna came up behind her, bringing her hands around Elsa's front and settling her head between her shoulder blades. Elsa couldn't help herself and instantly melted against her.

"I'm here for you, Elsa. Tell me what's bothering you. What's upset you so?" It occurred to Anna that she might have hurt Elsa accidentally while she was sleeping. Not one to be idle, Anna tended to move around quite a lot when she slept, which had everything to do with why she woke up with crazy hair all the time. "Did I whack you with my arm or jab you with my elbow? If I did, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. I should have warned you that I'm all over the place when I sleep. I guess it sort of slipped my mind."

An odd sound like a strangled laugh mixed with a snort came out of Elsa, and the kind, concerned words combined with Anna's gentle touch made Elsa lose it completely. Ice surfaced on the sink where she gripped it and her hands slipped as her knees buckled and Elsa sank to the floor, dragging Anna down with her as the younger girl held on to her. Elsa twisted her body to throw her arms around Anna's neck and sobbed against her shoulder as a series of new unrelenting tremors wracked her body.

Caught off guard, and sensing her sister's emotional outburst had nothing to do with an elbow to the face, Anna rubbed her back and murmured comfortingly, "Let it out." Wetness tickled her naked skin as her sister's tears and snot dribbled down her arm but she didn't mind. All she cared about was making Elsa feel better. She hated how helpless she felt because she didn't know what to do to make the obvious pain Elsa was experiencing-pain that she shouldn't be experiencing to begin with- go away. Anger built within her towards the unknown cause of distress that put Elsa in this condition.

They remained like that for a long while until Elsa's shaking eventually subsided along with the waterworks. Elsa cringed at the sticky wetness she left on Anna and sniffled an apology as she tried to wipe it off and instead only managed to smear it around on her freckled skin while Anna assured her it was okay and not to worry about it.

Ugh. I'm a disgusting mess, Elsa thought, her eyes fixed on Anna's shoulder. What in the world did Anna see in her?

Without realizing it, Elsa had spoken her thought out loud, and when Anna responded it took her by surprise. Anna lifted her chin with a small touch and met her watery eyes. "I see someone who is so used to being scared and unhappy, someone who deserves goodness in her life." She hugged Elsa, raising one hand up to delicately stroke the fine hairs at the back of her neck. "It pains me to see you in such a state, Elsa. Please tell me what's wrong and I'll do whatever I have to in order to make it better for you. But please don't push me away again. I'll do anything but I won't let you go. I can't do that. Please, just let me in."

Separating from the hug, Elsa stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I just…" Shuddering, she hunched over and clutched her elbows. "I-I had a nightmare."

"A…nightmare?" Anna echoed, tilting her head curiously. A nightmare was what caused her to breakdown? She relaxed knowing it was something so trivial, expecting something devastatingly worse. But then Anna realized that Elsa never had anyone around to comfort her when she had nightmares this bad and she likely suffered from them often during their years of separation and even immediately after the events of the Great Thaw. Poor Elsa, she thought sadly. Anna would put an end to that. She wouldn't let her suffer alone again. "What happened? Tell me about it," she prodded gently.

"NO!" Elsa's eyes widened in fear and she attempted to pull away from her.

"Elsa!" Anna said sternly, reeling her back in. "It might help if you talk about it. It's unhealthy to keep things bottled up and knowing you, you've been doing it for a very long time! You don't have to tell me everything if you're not comfortable with it, just whatever it is that bothers-"

"You DIED!" Elsa cowered at the sharp abruptness of her own words and she almost added, "Because of me," but what released from her mouth instead was a pained gasp. She couldn't bring herself to talk more about it, not wanting to relive the horrid event. It felt so vivid, so unbelievably real… She was still hearing the angry shouts of the mob and could clearly taste her sister's freshly shed blood in her mouth. Her stomach lurched and she gagged, covering her mouth and swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat.

"Oh..." Understanding and sympathy rushed through Anna, and her sister's behavior made perfect sense. Her reaction from a meager nightmare was further proof that Elsa loved her wholeheartedly. Wanting to ease her worries, Anna said, "But Elsa, I'm not dead. See? I'm right here with you. Perfectly fine and healthy." She pressed Elsa's hand against her breast, over her heart. "Do you feel that?"

Elsa nodded, feeling the gratifyingly strong and steady thump of the vital, massive muscle hidden within her sister. With a small squeak she buried her face into the crook of Anna's neck, her hands finding her torso, tugging her close, needing the contact. "I don't want to lose you," she muffled somberly.

"You're not going to lose me, Elsa," Anna insisted exasperatedly. It bothered her how hopeless Elsa sounded, like losing her was inevitable, which was ridiculous because now that they were finally together Anna wouldn't let anything separate them. She would kick the butt of anyone who tried to stop them. She petted Elsa's sweat dampened hair. "You had a nightmare, Elsa, okay? A terrifying but totally harmless nightmare. Nightmares aren't real, they can't hurt us."

"That's not true…"

"Elsa-"

"No! You're wrong, Anna!" Elsa cried, grasping Anna's shoulders roughly and giving her a firm shake. "The first time I struck you with my powers when we were children? Before it happened I dreamt of a similar scenario taking place," she revealed. The exact details of the dream and the manner in which Anna had been injured were sketchy now that she was older, but she remembered waking up in tears and being haunted by it days after it happened. Eventually she got over it, convincing herself it was nothing more than a bad dream and there was no way such a thing would happen because she loved her sister and would never, ever hurt her… Then the night of their forbidden snowy adventure in the Great Hall arrived and she had been utterly careless, showing off and stupidly trying to impress Anna, and the end result was that her nightmare became an unfortunate reality. "I dreamt I hurt you and… and it came true…"

"Elsa, sweet heart, I'm sure that was nothing more than a strangely sucky coincidence," Anna said gently, combing her fingers through Elsa's hair. "Look… I'm here, I'm alive and I will continue to be that way because I don't plan on dying anytime soon." Her strong fingers fluttered down Elsa's spine with each downward stroke of her hand, causing the older girl to shiver from the tingles the action produced, which encouraged Anna to press her warm lips against Elsa's. "Stop thinking before you hurt yourself and let me take your mind off unpleasant thoughts. Let me make love to you," she murmured.

Groaning, Elsa felt her body succumbing to Anna's kisses as they gradually heated up. The last thing she wanted to do was fight it but she tried anyway and naturally failed miserably as her lips seemingly of their own accord returned the action.

"Anna…" Elsa said hazily between the short breaks when they were not locked together, "you… should go."

"Why?" Anna questioned, swiping her tongue against Elsa's lips, tasting remnants of her salty tears and wanting to rid her of any and all traces of pain. Her tongue demanded entrance, pushing between the crack that separated Elsa's top and bottom lip.

Elsa automatically parted her lips to allow the tongue to explore further, moaning quietly and pressing forward as Anna's grazed hers with increasingly growing fervor before rasping distractedly, "Sleep."

"Sleep is so overrated," Anna mumbled, trailing kisses along her sister's jaw as her hands stealthily rubbed down her body, the fingers of one hand tickling her ribcage before sliding along the expanse of her belly and dropping lower, inching closer and closer to the awaiting heat emanating from between Elsa's thighs.

Her body set aflame by her sister's touch and wanting nothing more than to let her continue her exploration, Elsa somehow mustered enough willpower to catch Anna's wandering hands fast between her own, preventing them from venturing further. Anna looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and pouted adorably, upset that her progress had been hampered. "It's… late, Anna, and I have duties to tend to in the morning," Elsa reminded weakly.

"Oh, well, that's new," Anna kidded, and then more seriously, "I can help you out, you know."

Closing her eyes, Elsa chuckled and meagerly shook her head. "We went through this once before…"

"Right, I'm distracting." Anna rolled her eyes and growled frustratingly, raking her fingers through her bangs as she fell back on her rump. "Okay, fine," she grudgingly agreed. "You do need your beauty sleep, I suppose… Alright, let's clean you up a bit first."

Helping Elsa stand up on wobbly legs, Anna allowed her sister to lean on her for support as she guided her the short distance to the bathtub. After sitting Elsa on the edge of the tub, Anna turned the knobs to bring forth warm water from the spout. Since it was late and because she didn't feel like waiting for the tub to fill up, Anna let the water run until there was enough to submerge a washcloth in. Once it was at the proper depth she wanted, Anna turned the water off and fetched a cloth. Soaking it and squeezing out the excess so she wouldn't get the floor all wet, Anna knelt in front of Elsa and wiped her down with the damp cloth.

The sound of droplets of water dripping was the only thing heard as Anna worked with great care, concentrating on ridding her sister of the fear induced sweat that covered her body. She felt the unwanted stiffness that invaded Elsa's body ebb as she washed her, and she continued to do so for the next few minutes until she had thoroughly washed her from head to toe.

Dabbing the cool cloth against Elsa's face, Anna rose to perch beside her and asked softly, "Are you feeling a little better?"

Elsa nodded mutely and allowed her head to fall on Anna's shoulder. Her little sister's tender administrations had temporarily relieved her of stress, successfully soothing Elsa's troubled soul. "Thank you."

"I'll always be here for you, Elsa," Anna said, kissing her cheek. "Remember that." She felt Elsa nod against her once more in response.

After rinsing the cloth and wringing it out, Anna gave her own body a quick once over with the wet cloth using one hand since her other was holding Elsa, keeping her balanced on the tub's edge. When she finished, Anna walked them out of the bathroom, and with one arm still around Elsa, she reached down to pick up the discarded clothing she dropped on the floor after she chased Elsa into the bathroom and was about to put her panties back on when Elsa stopped her.

"You… um… should probably borrow something of mine," Elsa said quietly and parted from Anna to go to her dresser. Rifling through the top drawer, she fished out two fresh pairs of under garments and handed one to Anna.

"Ooh." Taking the piece of clothing offered to her, Anna said with a flirtatious wink, trying to lighten the mood, "I may never give these back, you know." She slipped her legs into the holes provided and slid the silky soft fabric up her legs and found that they fit her snugly. "Yep. Totally mine now." Topless, and wearing only the panties, Anna strode over to the full length mirror, swaying her hips in an attempt to look sexy, and checked herself out. She puckered her lips and proceeded to blow air out of her mouth at her reflection.

Elsa asked, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to do a wolf whistle. Hey, why don't you help me out here? I know you've got the talent and clearly there is an utterly irresistible, sexy princess right in front of your eyes," Anna teased, placing a hand on her hip and tossing back her head to let her hair fly behind her back, batting her eyelashes to drive home the point that she was the princess in question.

Elsa blushed and couldn't help but smile and laugh at Anna's silliness as she dressed herself. She tried to comply with her sister's request but ended up blowing air as well, unable to whistle properly while smiling. "I can't whistle when you're making me laugh."

"Good. That's what I want to hear," Anna said, beaming brightly as she donned her nightgown, smoothing her hand down the material to remove any wrinkles. With the two of them now safely clothed, Anna stepped in front of Elsa and held her hands. "All I ever want to hear coming from that mouth of yours is laugher." After a slight pause, she snickered and added with a quirk of her lip, "Um… and maybe another sound that's pleasing to the ears, if you know what I mean… But absolutely no more tears, okay? I forbid it!" Stroking the backs of her sister's hands with her thumbs, she continued, "And I was thinking that it would probably be best if I stayed here with you. I mean, it makes sense to be by your side considering you had a depressing nightmare about me dying." She made a disgusted face like she got a whiff of something smelly. "I'm sure I can keep those pesky nightmares at bay if you let me hold you," she reasoned. "I promise I'll behave myself."

Elsa's smile faded slowly as she lowered her eyes to their toes, and Anna followed her gaze and wiggled her toes to brush and tickle against her sister's, earning the return of a smaller smile in the process. The offer to let Anna stay the rest of the night was tempting. Elsa wanted to accept it so badly, to forget about everything and anything negative and just bask in Anna's loving warmth and she was very close to giving in until the chilling vision of a bloodied Anna resurfaced to the forefront of her mind. Her nightmare was rearing its ugly head and nagging at her and she needed some space and time to think about the meaning behind it. She couldn't do that with Anna sharing her bed, distracting her.

"Another time," Elsa forced herself to whisper softly, her voice wavering along with her smile.

Disappointed, Anna let go of her hands. "Oh, okay… If that's what you want… then I guess I'll go now," she said reluctantly. Turning to the door, she discovered it was still coated thickly with ice from Elsa's unsuccessful attempt earlier at keeping her out. "Um… Elsa? The door."

"Oh…" Elsa approached the door and dispelled the ice by placing her hand flat against the surface. "I'm sorry about that."

Anna wasn't sure if Elsa was apologizing for creating the ice blockade in the first place or if she was apologizing for it preventing her from leaving right away. Frankly, Anna didn't mind being trapped in the room with her sister; she preferred it, actually. Fiddling with the sleeve of her nightgown, Anna turned pleading eyes to her sister, hoping to guilt her into changing her mind and allowing her to stay. "Can I stay? Pretty, pretty please with krumkake on top?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elsa said exhaustingly, "Anna…"

Seeing that Elsa was firmly set on her decision, Anna grumbled unhappily, "Ugh! Fine! Good Mmmph!" Her words were smothered when Elsa swooped forward and took Anna in her arms, capturing her mouth with her own and ardently merging their lips together in a rather desperate kiss.

Bringing a hand up to lay against her little sister's flushed cheek, her lips quivering against Anna's, Elsa breathed forlornly, "I love you."

Anna's jaw set and her eyes hardened with determination. Elsa's words and body language clearly portrayed that she didn't want her to leave and yet she was trying to make her leave. Anna didn't understand it, but she certainly wasn't going to stand for it.

When Elsa released her, Anna whirled in the opposite direction of the door and made her way to the bed. Pulling back the covers, she dove under and made herself nice and comfortable, fluffing the pillow at her back. Folding her arms defiantly and meeting Elsa's skeptical expression, she stated, "I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here and you're just going to have to accept that. Now get your tushy over here and let me cuddle you." She patted the empty side of the bed as an invitation for Elsa to join her and then clasped her hands in her lap, waiting expectantly for her to do so.

Elsa didn't budge, but even from where Anna sat she could see the internal war taking place within her big sister. "Anna, I-"

"Let me rephrase that," Anna said slowly, interrupting her. "I order you, as your Princess, to get your gorgeous ass into this bed right this second so that I may bodily hold you. No excuses and… and no using your powers to force me out because that would be cheating," she added hastily, recalling the last time she was forced out of a place against her will by Elsa, when she had created Marshmallow. Waggling her fingers in a come hither gesture, she said with gentle firmness, "Get over here."

Unable to refuse the playful and loving sternness that Anna displayed towards her, Elsa's legs carried her to the bed. She crawled under the covers facing Anna, making sure to keep a reasonable distance between their bodies.

What was reasonable to Elsa was unacceptable to Anna, and the younger sister made the distance disappear altogether, shuffling herself closer to Elsa until she could feel her sister's breath brushing against her face. "That's much better," she crooned as her arms surrounded her sister's body and, faced with Elsa's inviting lips before her, Anna couldn't hold back from kissing them.

Air rushed out of Elsa's nose as the kiss was initiated and she mumbled as a reminder, "You said you'd behave."

"Do you really want me to?" Anna questioned faintly. She received a barely there whimper in response as the answer was punctuated and made perfectly clear from the slight forward shift of Elsa's lower body against hers. Despite the obvious answer, Anna restrained herself and backed off. "I can't say I'm sorry… I mean, how can you expect me to resist such succulent lips? But you're right… I made a promise and I will keep it, though I could argue that kissing technically isn't misbehaving. It merely leads up to it," she said wryly, sneaking one last quick peck in. "Hm. It would probably be a good idea for you to turn around so I don't get distracted."

The Princess loosened her hold enough to allow Elsa to switch her position, and once her back was to Anna, the younger girl fitted herself so she was flush behind her. Burrowing her nose into white-blond hair, Anna said lightly, "Can I just say, the back of your head is ridiculous."

A burst of laughter seeped from Elsa's mouth. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a compliment, don't worry," Anna said, nuzzling her affectionately, her hands occasionally swirling soothing circles on her tummy. "Now, go to sleep and dream of happy, peaceful things. Dream about us doing joyful things together, like building snowmen, for example," she suggested, dropping her chin to Elsa's shoulder, the side of her head settling perfectly in the crook of Elsa's neck.

If only it were that simple, Elsa thought tiredly. "Good night, precious."

"Good night, beautiful."

Elsa lay in her sister's arms and listened to her soft breathing. With her attention focused solely on that, she was able to detect the very second Anna crossed the line to unconsciousness. Vainly Elsa tried to join her in slumber land but sleep was not kind to her and eluded her despite how exhausted she was. If Anna wasn't anchored behind her she'd be restlessly tossing and turning. She was just too tense to bring her mind or body to a relaxed enough state to fall asleep, and it didn't help that when she closed her eyes, everything from her nightmare came flooding brilliantly back at her as if it were happening all over again. Anna's death cry incessantly resounded in her head, and the searing image of her sister's life fading away and her blood splashing across the frozen fjord refused to dissipate, along with the too realistic feeling of the warm slickness coating her hands and dripping down her arms...

Elsa's heart rate kicked up double-time at the gruesome recollection and her breathing quickened. Breaking out into a cold sweat, she struggled to keep her powers in check, but it was only a matter of time before the cold that threatened to escape from her body unpleasantly jarred Anna awake again. Elsa wanted to avoid unnecessarily disturbing the Princess from getting a restful sleep- there was no reason to let her suffer along with her- so she carefully attempted to pry Anna's hands off of her with her own clammy and unsteady ones but the sleeping girl tightened her grip aggressively, refusing to relinquish her.

Growling, Anna mumbled incomprehensible words and sighed sleepily, nudging closer to Elsa, wisps of her hair tickling Elsa's face.

Elsa stayed still for a few long minutes, making sure the younger girl remained in her enviably oblivious state, and when she was sure it was safe to do so, she once again gingerly plucked at her sister's hands, unclasping them successfully this time without rendering a peep from Anna and sliding them away from her as she inched her body off the bed. Paper crackled under her feet as they touched the floor and she cringed at how loud the sound seemed in the silence of the room before quickly stepping off the source of the noise and picking it up. She hardly gave the paper a glance as she walked over to the piano and parked herself on the bench where she mulled over her nightmare and what its unwelcoming existence meant concerning her and Anna's future together.

The good news was that Anna shared the same feelings as her. The initial shock at the discovery and the disgust Elsa felt at herself for thinking she corrupted Anna had worn off after her adorably freckle-faced and kindhearted sister showed exactly just how much she loved her. Being with Anna was so magnificent! Truthfully, Elsa had never felt more happy and free in her entire life. Not even the moment she had let her powers loose after so many years of keeping it reigned in compared to what she experienced being in Anna's arms. It was refreshing and beautifully breathtaking and absolutely perfect!

At the same time it was heart wrenchingly sad and frightening because the people in her kingdom would never understand… They would never see how true and right their love was. And if her nightmare was any indication of how they'd react upon finding out the news, the two women would be severely punished for it, likely in the form of a grizzly death...

Despite Anna trying to convince her otherwise, Elsa couldn't shake the feeling that her latest nightmare was a warning, much like her last one had obviously been. To cast it aside as meaningless and hope for the best would be foolish and was simply not an option when Anna's life was at stake! If she had taken a precaution after the first disastrous nightmare and been more careful around Anna, she never would have struck Anna and they never would have been apart all those years. She had paid dearly for that and she wasn't going to make that mistake again.

What could they do? There weren't many options available to them. If they stayed in Arendelle and went ahead and resumed their relationship as more than sisters, how long would it take before they were found out? Was it possible for them to keep their love a secret from prying eyes? Elsa had managed to successfully guard her powers from being discovered for so many years so maybe there was a tiny chance…

No, that situation was way different than her current one. Concealing her powers from everyone had been easy because she had isolated herself in her room and was basically alone the majority of the time. In this case she was not alone, plus add to the fact she was the queen, which meant people would naturally be more observant to what she did. Looking at it realistically, no matter how discreet they tried to be, their secret would come out eventually. It was much safer to avoid the ugliness before it took shape.

Lightly dusting her fingers against the ivory keys of her piano, Elsa toyed with the idea of them leaving Arendelle together and starting a new life elsewhere. That would, of course, mean abandoning the kingdom and proving herself even more of a failure than she already was (her parents were rolling in their graves, that was for sure), but at least they would be together and safe from danger, right?

Except… if they went down that route they would be in just as much danger if not more, Elsa realized. They'd be branded as fugitives and traitors to the kingdom and end up living in constant fear of getting caught. That was not a life she wanted for them, especially not for Anna.

Too tired to think of anything that didn't end depressingly for them, Elsa sighed massively and rose from the bench. She really needed to have serious talk with Anna about the whole thing later. Maybe they could come up with a good decision together. Morosely wandering back to her bed, Elsa decided to try and attempt to get some sleep. Thinking would certainly be a whole lot easier if she could manage to get a decent amount of rest in, impossible as that may seem…

Placing the slightly crinkled but folded paper on the bedside table, Elsa brought one knee up on the bed, causing the mattress to dip under the added weight, and her second knee was about to follow the first when she suddenly stopped. Retreating from the bed, her eyes returned to the paper she had put down and she picked it up again, remembering what it was and why she had initially acquired it in the first place.

It was the map that would lead her to the trolls...

In her moment of confusion and hysteria, after the big revelation and before Anna had effortlessly broken her from her shell of fear, Elsa had wanted to make Anna forget about the incident that took place between them because at the time she had thought it was the right thing to do. Of course, after the beautiful love they shared Elsa would never have considered the idea ever again, would have banished such horrible thoughts from her mind forever… if not for the recent problematic developments.

Being the oldest and the queen, it was up to Elsa to make the right decision for them both and it wouldn't be right for her to selfishly allow their relationship to continue in this manner when the possibility of Anna getting seriously injured or killed as a result of it was very real. It was pointless to discuss it with Anna, Elsa concluded, because no matter what they decided on as a couple, a dreary outcome would inevitably be waiting for them. Elsa personally didn't care what happened to herself because she was highly insignificant compared to Anna. Many would disagree but the truth was plain as day. She was cursed and destined to be a total disaster. But Anna… Anna was pure sunshine and happiness and all that was good in the world, and for that goodness to be put to waste because of her? It was inconceivable and unacceptable.

Elsa would not have Anna's blood on her hands. She would do everything and anything in her power to make sure no harm came to her princess and there was only one solution that pretty much guaranteed that promising safety. As her eyes fell from the map to the sleeping and, thankfully, very much alive Anna on her bed, she slowly came to a painfully difficult but ultimately necessary decision.

Sadly, it wasn't practical or remotely possible for them to be anything more than sisters…

Unfolding the map, Elsa examined it blurrily as new tears shimmered on the surface of her eyes. Swiping them away with the back of her hand, she mentally stored the information the map presented to her in her head before crushing it into a ball and hurling it angrily across the room. She went to the window, pushing the curtains aside, peering out into the night to judge how much time she had before day light showed up. Elsa didn't know much about the trolls but she was aware they were nocturnal creatures and if she was going to see them now she had to act quickly. This wasn't something she could put off for a few days.

Elsa conjured up a modest ice dress over her nightgown and then lingered by her bed, watching the Princess as she continued to sleep peacefully. Instinctively she reached her hand out to caress Anna's beautiful face but she halted her action, not wanting to risk waking Anna up. Retracting her hand and curling her fingers into her palm, Elsa's anxiety mounted and hit her full force, making the room grow drastically chilly as she thought about the enormous sacrifice she was about to make. When she returned from her visit with the trolls, in theory Anna would forget everything that happened between them starting from the ball… and she resented that. To lose her again after finally having her… She wanted to scream and rip her hair from her head at the unfairness of her situation. Why couldn't life be simple? Why couldn't they just live together happily? Why was the world so cruel? It wasn't fair, though by now she should have been used to it. Nothing in her life had ever really been fair…

On the bed, Anna visibly shivered at the change in temperature and her hands groped the area in front of her, actively searching expectantly for the promising warmth of Elsa's body even in her sleeping state. Coming up empty-handed, her brows furrowed and her face scrunched up with discomfort as a soft, almost mournful cry emitted from her mouth before she bundled herself deeper into the blankets in an effort to keep warm.

Elsa wanted to go to her, to hold her and keep her warm and just love her as she deserved to be loved, but instead of giving her that love she was going to take it away from her…

As if protesting against her for even thinking of such a detestable idea, her stomach gurgled and churned and this time there was no swallowing it back. Elsa tripped over her feet as she rushed to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet in time as she spewed what little contents she had in her stomach into the bowl. Hugging her temporary best friend, she retched and heaved until she was totally emptied out. Rolling her forehead against the cool rim of the toilet seat, Elsa had the overpowering urge to bash her head into the porcelain throne and the thought struck her as insanely funny so she giggled and then laughed, and once she started laughing she couldn't bring herself to stop. She laughed so hard her ribs ached to the point she felt they were going to splinter and break and she continued laughing until the laughter converted to choked sobbing.

She couldn't possibly go through with it. She didn't want to! Bitterly, she reminded herself she had no choice.

She dug her fingers into her ribcage and said out loud, "Get it together." She wasn't going be of much use if she remained in such a pathetically weak state. Wishing she was strong and fearless like Anna, she dragged herself to the sink and turned on the water, sticking her head under the faucet, allowing rivulets of water to drip down her face. It did nothing to calm her, not that she was expecting it to. It was nothing like Anna's gentle touch…

Elsa rinsed her mouth, spitting out the nasty taste the vomit left behind and then she gulped down mouthfuls of the pouring water in an effort to quench her parched throat. But no matter how many mouthfuls she drank of the liquid, it seemed to evaporate the instant it entered the dry desert that was her mouth.

Turning the sink off, she sagged against it and told herself to look on the bright side of her situation. Yes, she would be losing a part of Anna in some way but at least she would still be alive. She would still have her little sister, her Princess, and that's what was important. That's what truly mattered the most. The loss of their recently shared love was a small price to pay compared to losing Anna entirely.

Time was ticking. She had to act now. She pulled herself to her feet and exited the bathroom, heading towards her bedroom door. Opening it, she gave a sorrowful look in her sister's direction and whispered chokingly, "I'm so sorry, Anna." Stepping over the threshold, she shut the door behind her quietly, leaving the Princess to slumber.

**AN 2: I'm really grateful and honored that you guys have stuck around this long and hope the turn of events doesn't deter you from continuing to read! I appreciate all comments, positive and negative, so don't hold back. :P**


	16. The Solution?

Elsa hurried out of the castle and to the stables as fast as her deadened legs would take her. Arriving at the stables she saw it was devoid of other people so she quickly procured a horse and struggled to saddle up the animal by herself with sloppy, trembling hands, occasionally checking over her shoulder.

She'd encountered very few of her subjects on her way here, and those she did come across simply acknowledged her as they would their queen with a hint of surprise in their eyes at seeing her up and about at such a late-or early- hour. No one questioned her and they left her alone, but she wasn't expecting her escape to be quite so easy.

Nothing in her cursed life was ever easy… She couldn't even put a damn saddle on a horse for crying out loud without having problems! Grunting in frustration, and so very close to blasting the item to icy smithereens, Elsa spent a few more minutes fighting with the very uncooperative saddle, only to discover she had it on backwards the whole time…

Stupid, stupid, she thought as she corrected her mistake. Once she finally got the saddle fitted properly in place, Elsa climbed aboard, and with reins in hand she steered the horse towards the stable gates to make her exit.

But just before she reached the gates, her progress was hindered and she was forced to an abrupt halt as two guards appeared standing side by side, effectively creating a human roadblock.

Elsa had, of course, anticipated some resistance to her leaving so suddenly and without any explanation, but the guards' sudden appearance made her wary, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. "Step aside," she ordered, hoping the slight crack in her voice went unnoticed by the two uniformed men.

Both men bowed to their Queen respectfully, but other than the betraying fidgeting that gave away their nervousness, neither budged from their position, blatantly disobeying her command and irking Elsa.

The shorter of the two guards, Clifford, spoke first, "My Queen, where are you off to at this time of night?"

The other guard, Luther, fixed her with a suspicious expression, taking in her hectic appearance. Her normally impeccable hair was absent of braid or bun and strewn messily upon her shoulders, and her striking blue eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

Elsa caught his gaze and stared him down until he dropped his eyes to the floor. In her frazzled state it was certainly no mystery as to why they were staring and she knew she probably looked like a wild woman. Brushing her fingers through her hair, she let a tiny amount of her powers flow from her hands to smooth and tame it just enough to make herself appear more presentable and not look like the complete and total mess that she currently was. Coolly, she informed them, "I have urgent business that I need to tend to and you are preventing me from doing so."

"I'm afraid we can't allow you to leave the premises," Clifford said, and maybe it was a trick of the nonexistent wind, but his words sounded cold and threatening to Elsa's ears. Then the man smirked knowingly and Elsa watched with growing apprehension as he lifted his hand and inched it toward the hilt of his sword. His hand enclosed around the handle and he swiftly unsheathed it.

Elsa blanched as the other guard also drew his sword and the two men advanced towards her aggressively. The reins fell from her hands and freezing cold emanated from her body as a sickening realization struck her, the frigidness disturbing the horse beneath her and causing the animal to move restlessly, its hooves clomping the ground with each shift of its body.

They knew.

They knew about her and Anna. In a matter of a few hours they had found out about the sisters' not so sisterly relationship and they were already frothing at the mouth and itching to drive their swords through her to put an end to her life. It was a lot sooner than she anticipated, but that wasn't even the worst part… The worst part was, if the guards had already cornered her this quickly, that meant they had to have sent others to capture Anna…

Anna!

I left Anna alone, she thought in a panic, fear gripping her and squeezing the air from her lungs. She had left her sister alone, vulnerable and defenseless! Her nose flared and she felt her face heating up despite the chill that wafted off of her, the anger blossoming within her as a flood of images pervaded her mind in rapid succession, each different scenarios of Anna being tortured or killed in horribly gruesome ways. Brutally bloodied and beaten and ruined…

All because of her. All because she loved her…

"No…" No, not Anna. Not her Anna. She wouldn't let them touch her. She had to get back to her. Maybe she wasn't too late and she could still save her…

"Your Majesty?!"

Elsa violently shook her head and blinked in confusion, her chest heaving rapidly as she sucked in mouthfuls of breath. Focusing on the two guards, she was confronted with two matching terrified faces as the men cowered before her, their arms raised up defensively as if to fend off an attack, and rightly so considering Elsa's hands were extended outward, palms pointing dangerously in their direction. Neither of the men, she noticed, had their swords drawn, their weapons safely sheathed and strapped securely to their sides, untouched.

The guards had never acted coldly or threateningly towards her. Her mind, she realized, was playing tricks on her, and she chalked the cause behind it down to sheer exhaustion and her imagination running wild with her fears. Not good, she thought, as she swung her eyes up and around, noting that everything in her immediate vicinity was iced over, including the poor horse's coat, who jerked its head to the side and let out a disgruntled snort, unsettled by the sudden winter that was thrust upon it.

These slipups of her powers were happening a lot lately, she thought sourly.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling well?" Luther asked worriedly from behind his raised arms.

"I-I'm…" Lowering her hands to her lap and taking control of the reins, Elsa was about to apologize to the men but then decided it was probably best not to let it be known that she had momentarily lost herself. That wouldn't go over too well. Ignoring the question of her well-being because she wasn't quite sure of the answer herself, Elsa waved her hand, dissolving all evidence of her powers, and addressed Clifford, who was standing at attention and noticeably quaking in his shoes. "I told you to step aside and you not only disobeyed me, but you have the audacity to tell me that I'm not allowed to leave my own dwelling. Is that right?" she asked him calmly but with a tinge of force behind her words to make it clear she wasn't playing games. She may have imagined his cold tone, but she was certain he had told her she couldn't leave and she wanted to be sure she had heard correctly.

"M-my Queen, I said we can't allow you to leave the premises unescorted," Clifford said flustered. "It's still dark out and there's no telling what dangers await. For your safety, we shall accompany you to wherever you are headed."

"No, you will not," she said crisply, leaving no room for argument. "I need to do this alone. I appreciate your concern for my safety but I won't be gone long, and should I run into any problems along the way, I can assure you I am very capable of handling it myself." Controlled frost flared from her hands and coated the reins she held as if to demonstrate just how capable she was, not that she needed to remind them after her accidental display. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off."

The guards seemed reluctant but they gave her the space she needed to proceed through and Elsa thanked them with a curt nod before snapping the reins. Her horse bolted forward and away, and she directed the speedy animal towards the fjord. Once they were upon the large body of water, she created an icy path across it as a short cut to save them some time, and as the horse raced across the fjord's surface, Elsa made sure the ice disintegrated behind them to avoid being tailed. The horse's hooves touched down safely on dry land on the opposite side and Elsa urged the horse to gallop faster toward her destination, the speed jostling her in the saddle and causing her hair to billow wildly behind her.

It wasn't long before the air around her became shrouded in mist and the terrain changed from soft dirt and grass to hard rock and moss. Sensing she was nearing the right place, she slowed the horse down to a cautious trot as she surveyed the area. A hiss of steam exploded from the ground next to them, startling both her and the horse. Elsa managed to keep the skittish animal under control, resting a hand on the side of the agitated horse's neck and stroking it to calm it as they trudged past more holes that sporadically blasted puffs of heat and eventually they arrived at a clearing.

A very empty clearing.

She assumed she was in the right place. The stair-like ledges made it a very distinct and familiar clearing, yet there wasn't a large, round rock to be seen that hinted the trolls were dwelling there. Elsa dismounted her horse and almost collapsed as her legs threatened to give out on her when her feet met the stiff ground. Steadying herself, she looked around and wondered if the trolls had relocated to another area. She wasn't sure if the trolls traveled or not.

This was not good… She'd come all this way for help, she couldn't go back empty handed. "Hello?" she shouted timidly. What would she do with Anna? What could she do? Dissuading her from the relationship would never work, Anna made it perfectly clear she wasn't going to let her go, and frankly they couldn't just go back to being normal sisters like nothing happened between them! Especially not with Anna trying to seduce her around every corner… not that she even needed to try.

Elsa wanted so badly to welcome it with open arms…

But you can't, she reminded herself as she slouched against the horse, releasing an irritable gust of breath upon the sturdy side of the animal as she trained her eyes to the ground and absentmindedly toed at a fissure in the rocky surface at her feet. The danger was too great and she needed to stop thinking about such things because it was only making things painfully worse...

With her mind elsewhere, Elsa didn't see or hear the large shadowy figure streaking towards her until it was too late and she was suddenly being assaulted by a giant, slobbery tongue. Her senses were blasted unpleasantly with smelly, hot carrot breath as the creature panted eagerly into her face. Gagging and spluttering when the tongue slipped briefly into her mouth, Elsa shoved the beast away with what little strength she had left and furiously wiped her mouth, spitting out the lingering after taste.

"Whoa, there, Sven!" Kristoff rushed over and dragged the beast in question- an overly rambunctious reindeer- back by pulling on his antlers. "Calm down there, buddy!" He turned his attention to the person unlucky enough to be viciously licked by his friend to apologize and gasped in shock when he saw who it was. "Wha- Elsa? I mean, Your Majesty!"

"Christopher?" Elsa observed him with mild surprise, not expecting to see him there. Why the hell was he there? Then she felt like an idiot for forgetting that the man resided with the trolls. It was where he chose to live when he wasn't out on one of his ice adventures. Even after she offered the man a place in the castle as a gesture of thanks for taking care of Anna during the winter she had accidentally induced, he politely declined and explained he couldn't leave his troll family and that he would feel out of place living in such a huge castle anyway. Anna had jokingly said it was really because he wouldn't have the luxury of walking around naked like he sometimes did while living in the wilderness. He had blushed outrageously in response to that but made no effort to deflect her sister's comment otherwise, which led Elsa to believe it was true, and if it was true, the fact that Anna knew that little tidbit of information about the mountain man was disconcerting…

Currently the burly man was fully clothed and Elsa was extremely relieved about that. "You may call me Elsa, Christopher," she told him

Kristoff scrubbed a hand over his shaggy hair. "Elsa! Sure! Oh, and uh, it's Kristoff, by the way," he corrected her, smiling crookedly. His smile deteriorated as he studied her intently. "Hey, you look terrible! I mean," he hastily said, "you look beautiful but-"

"I'm just tired and more than a little stressed," she explained, and before he could say anything else and question her further, she quickly asked him, "I need to see the trolls, specifically the wise old one, but I don't see any sign of them. Are they around?"

The ground beneath them started to shake as if affected by an earthquake and an avalanche of moss covered boulders cascaded down into the clearing, tumbling straight for them. Elsa's horse freaked at the seemingly oncoming threat and whinnied, rearing up on its hind legs. Kristoff lunged forward, grabbing the reins and yanking the animal back down while Elsa iced the animal's hooves to the ground, rooting it in place to prevent it from running off or injuring anyone.

The rocks surrounded them and rumbled to a stop as each one unraveled, revealing large round noses and ears, and lots of blinking, bright, inquisitive eyes. Considering Elsa's ability to make snowmen walk and talk, Elsa shouldn't have been so fascinated by the living rocks, and yet she found that she was anyway.

Standing right beside her, Kristoff answered her previous question unnecessarily, "Yes."

"It's the Queen!" the trolls whispered aloud as they openly gawked at her as one.

Their unwavering stares were unnerving and not helping her already delicate state. Though the trolls weren't people, she couldn't help but feel they were judging her in some way, even without them knowing her reason for being there. She fought the urge to shut her eyes in a childish attempt to hide and instead sought out the one troll she needed. To her dismay, she found that all of the trolls looked nearly identical, at least to her inexperienced eyes. She was sure Kristoff could identify each troll individually.

Then a section of the trolls parted and another rock rolled up to their position, unfolding to reveal a rather unique looking troll. This one was considerably aged compared to the rest of the trolls and had kind, sad eyes with a thick grassy mane of hair.

"Your Majesty," the old troll greeted, his voice gravelly and whispery. "What brings you here?" It had been a very long time since he'd last seen the young woman and that was when she had been a scared little princess. She was no longer a tiny princess but the fear radiating from her was still prevalent and had grown so much stronger.

"Grand Pabbie, is it?" Elsa asked him, and he nodded an affirmative. "I'm in dire need of your assistance." Wringing her hands together, her eyes flitted upon the trolls crowded around them and she said hesitantly, "I would… May I speak with you alone, please?"

Sensing her discomfort and the need for privacy, Grand Pabbie shooed the other trolls away effortlessly. Obediently they curled up and rolled out of sight, the ground shuddering with their departure. But the topic of discussion was further delayed when a totally oblivious Kristoff remained by their side. Pabbie and Elsa both pointedly looked at him, hoping he would take the hint and go away.

It didn't work.

Pabbie cleared his throat noisily to get his attention.

"Oh, you mean me, too?" Kristoff asked sounding surprised. "Yeah, okay…Heh, sorry. I'm going. Come on, Sven!" he called, waving for his reindeer friend to follow him.

Kristoff made himself scarce, walking a reasonable distance away. When he was sure they were no longer watching him, he dashed behind a giant boulder and waited for Sven to join his side. Sven poked his head around the rock, tongue lolling out of his mouth and dripping with drool. Lugging the reindeer closer using his antlers, Kristoff whispered into a flapping ear, "Listen, buddy, I need you to stay here, okay? I'm going to investigate and see what's going on." He would need to get a lot closer to the scene and Sven's furry mass and pointy antlers would give away his position.

Sven grunted unhappily, clearly not liking being excluded from an adventure, but he complied and parked himself on his haunches with a displeased huff and a roll of his eyes.

Digging into his pant pocket, Kristoff pulled out a carrot and offered the untrimmed orange root to his pal as a peace offering, and Sven gave it a disinterested sniff but grudgingly accepted it. No matter what his mood might be, Sven could never turn down a carrot, and he especially wasn't going to deny one that was intact. It was a rare treat for the reindeer to be able to enjoy eating a full carrot on his own since the two friends almost always shared one together.

Sven unenthusiastically chomped down the vegetable in three bites and Kristoff patted his best friend's head before getting down on his hands and knees and stealthily crawling back to where Elsa and Pabbie were having their meeting. He found a nice bush that kept him hidden from view and allowed him to covertly eavesdrop on their conversation. He knew it wasn't polite to listen in but, despite living with trolls and a reindeer for the majority of his life, he was still human and humans had the tendency to be nosy. And who could really blame him for being nosy? Considering Elsa had never before made an effort to visit the trolls, it was only natural for him to be curious about Elsa's sudden presence and the reason for her being there.

"Now, my dear, what is troubling you?" Pabbie questioned earnestly.

"It's my sister," Elsa croaked. "My… my Anna. I-I fear that I may have endangered her."

"Has she been hurt?" Pabbie's first thought was that it involved her powers and he scrutinized her hands automatically. Her hands appeared normal as far as he could tell, with no noticeable signs that indicated they were part of the problem.

Noticing where his gaze was aimed, Elsa self-consciously folded her arms over her chest and shoved her hands under the safety of her pits, shaking her head firmly. "No, Anna's not hurt, and this has nothing to do with my powers…" For once, she thought dryly.

"Then what could you have done that is threatening to your sister's life?" the troll said, cocking his head in puzzlement.

Elsa fidgeted and opened her mouth as if to speak but promptly closed it and gnawed on her bottom lip. Pabbie didn't rush her, letting her take her time as she mulled over what she was going to say. Whatever it was, he could tell it was a sensitive subject for her.

"I… I love her," she finally revealed, a bright blush staining her cheeks at the admission. "I love her more than a sister should," she rushed out in a low whisper, ducking her head.

"Ah, I see." Pabbie chuckled heartily. "You love your sister and fear it is wrong, is that it? If that is the case, you have nothing to be ashamed of, my dear. The wonderful thing that is love works in very mysterious ways, and the magic of true love in particular is absolute," he stated assuredly. "Now, if you had feelings for or were in a relationship with a reindeer, for example… that might be cause for concern."

Listening from his hiding place, Kristoff frowned in annoyance and shot up from his crouched position with a finger raised high, on the verge of shouting in protest at Pabbie's uncalled for remark and nearly giving himself away. He kept himself in check and resorted to fuming silently. Sure, it was true he loved the smelly beast, but his love for Sven was nothing more than as a friend! Everybody knew that! Or so he thought… He needed to have a talk with his family and set things straight otherwise.

"No, that's not it. I'm not ashamed of loving Anna. I was for the longest time," Elsa admitted, "but not anymore." She paused and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before saying shyly, "Anna…well, she assisted me past that point."

"I figured as much. Her love essence is quite strong coming off you," the old troll said matter-of-factly, rocking casually on his heels with hands clasped behind his back, his eyebrows raised suggestively.

The reddening of her cheeks deepened profusely, spreading like wildfire to her ears and neck as Elsa gaped at him in wide-eyed mortification and stuttered nonsense in a pathetic attempt to form words before she settled with, "Oh…" Uncomfortably hot by the troll's unexpected teasing, she fiddled at the constricting collar of her ice dress.

Pabbie laughed with amusement and offered her a bright apologetic smile afterwards. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I was merely making an observation. Trolls have a phenomenal sense of smell and not much can get past this huge monstrosity of a nose," he said, giving his nose a solid tap. "Relax yourself. There's no reason to get flustered, my dear. Please continue with what you were saying."

"I… erm…" Adjusting her collar enough so it no longer felt so suffocating, Elsa forced an uneasy smile and explained, "As I said, I'm not afraid of loving her… but I am afraid that my loving her will condemn her to a terrible fate."

The troll was serious in an instant, eyebrows furrowing with concern. Perplexed by her words, Pabbie scratched his head, unable to fathom how something like love could possibly be lumped in the same sentence as a terrible fate. "Why would you think that?"

"I had a nightmare…"

Shuffling closer to Elsa, Pabbie gestured for her to kneel. "Let me take a glimpse and see if there may be something I can do for you."

Elsa fell to one knee so she was level with him and dipped her head when Pabbie motioned for her to do so. The troll placed his heavy hand on her head, and for an entire minute or so there was no talking as bits and pieces of Elsa's nightmare transferred from her head to his. Eyes closed in concentration, the ancient rock troll sifted through the dreadful imaginations enough for him to understand what the young queen had the misfortune of experiencing.

Tsking, Pabbie withdrew his hand when he was finished and regarded her with sympathetic eyes. "I can imagine how frightening it must have been for you to have such a harsh nightmare thrust upon you. Tell me, has this nightmare occurred before or is this the first time you've dealt with it?"

"I've been getting nightmares all my life, but never as realistically foreboding or graphic as this one," Elsa said, twisting her hands together as she rose to her full height.

"Luckily I have a solution for you. I can put you at ease by curing you of these ghastly images," Pabbie offered.

Pabbie's suggestion was a promising alternative compared to what she had regrettably decided on… but as promising as it sounded, wiping the plaguing nightmares from her mind in reality was nothing more than a temporary solution. It was like putting a bandage on an untreated, festering wound. Underneath the bandage there was still a very real threat that needed taking care of. "As much as I'd like that, it won't resolve my issue."

"Which is?"

Unable to hide her annoyance, she said heatedly, "You saw what took place in my nightmare, didn't you? I think it's fairly obvious what I'm worried about!"

"You're afraid your people would inflict harm on yourself and the Princess if they discovered how strong your love truly is, is that it? Frankly, I can see why you would fear of such a scenario taking place since humans are rather fickle beings and are much less accepting concerning certain matters, including those involving love. Strangely," Pabbie said, rubbing his rough fingers against his chin thoughtfully, "they value hate and greed more than anything else and that's something I will never understand… But even so, I do not believe they would resort to violence so quickly like they did in your nightmare. You mustn't expect the worse," he advised calmly, "and it's important to keep in mind that nightmares are manifestations of ones fears. If you think negatively before going to sleep there's a good chance it will reflect in your dreams. My advice to you would be to put it behind you and do not let it worry you so."

"That's easy for you to say," she retorted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "All my life I've had nothing but bad things happen to me! Why should this be any different?"

"Sometimes bad things happen without reason, even to good people. But most of the time bad things happen solely because of bad decisions. The actions you take in life ultimately determine the outcome, and admittedly some of your choices- and those of your parents- were in bad taste in regards to your powers. If you remember, when you came to me that first night I specifically instructed you and your parents that you needed to learn to control your powers and not to fear them… Instead of heeding my words, they had you conceal them, which inevitably resulted in you fearing them more and causing unnecessary circumstances to unfold."

"They tried to help me," she said defensively. Maybe the late King and Queen went about it all wrong by thinking concealing her powers was the right way to go, but how could they have known any better? It wasn't like they had experience with magical little girls before… They could have avoided all the trouble entirely and just dumped her off somewhere far away, but they made an attempt to help her… and in the end Elsa failed them miserably.

Lost in thought, it suddenly dawned on her that if Pabbie had made her forget all about the accident that particular night, things might have turned out a lot differently concerning her powers, but in a good way… She probably would have been more confident with them and learned to control them better because in her mind she would have never hurt Anna… Or maybe another similar accident would have happened at a later time… Elsa would never know what could have been, and there was no point in dwelling on useless what ifs. The past was in the past. She had to consider what lay in the future.

"My powers have nothing to do with why I'm here, so let's not change the subject and talk about them, please."

Pabbie shrugged and said tiredly, "I was trying to make a point, my dear, but it seems to have flown over your head." The dark sky was starting to lighten, signaling that it was way past the troll's bed time. A yawn came to Grand Pabbie unbidden and he barely stifled it. "So tell me then, what's your reason for being here? You've told me about the nightmare and I offered my help for that and you refused it. What is it you want?"

Elsa visibly deflated and twiddled her thumbs together, swallowing dryly. The action was painful on her raw throat and she felt as if she were swallowing shards of glass. "I… I need something that will make Anna forget…everything and anything that has happened between us that is more than sisterly," she said with difficulty.

Her request was met with stony silence.

She glanced from her hands to his face and met his blinking, quizzical eyes. "Is that… You can do that, right?" she asked anxiously.

"You want me to take the memories she has of your love away," he reiterated carefully. "Is that what you're proposing?"

Elsa nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"It's surprising to me that you are asking me this," he said disapprovingly, highly bothered by her request. "This is a very serious request you are making and not at all a simple one. I am under the impression your feelings are consensual and that your sister loves you as you love her, correct?"

"Why does it matter?" she softly inquired.

"It matters a great deal, Your Majesty. It has been established that the bond you two share is a product of true love, and true love is a matter of the heart." He pointed to the left side of her chest where her heart lay and she subconsciously brought a hand up and placed it directly on the area in question as he spoke. "The head can be persuaded but the heart cannot be so easily changed. In clear terms that means messing with the head will not change how the heart feels. It is not wise to interfere in such a way," Pabbie dissuaded gruffly.

"But I need everything to go back to normal between us!" If she had controlled her libido at the masquerade ball and abstained from having her way with the girl, who in the end turned out to be Anna, she wouldn't be in her current predicament. It was disheartening to think she never would have experienced her sister's loving embrace, but the fact was that they never would have been together like that at all if the ball incident hadn't happened. Anna herself had said Elsa's actions from that night had awoken the feelings inside her. She needed to undo it, even if it killed Elsa deep inside to do so. "Please, you have to fix it!"

"I cannot fix what is not broken," Pabbie declared decisively. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to help you in that department."

His words sank in, and his refusal to help her sent her body into a frigid state as a crushing fear enveloped her. Truthfully, Elsa wasn't expecting to be denied. She thought for sure the old troll would understand the severity of her situation and offer his help willingly. "There must be something you can do!" she pleaded desperately and flinched when white specs drifted in front of her face and tickled her forehead. It started to flurry out of nowhere, but the cause was glaringly obvious. "I've nearly killed her twice already, and this?" Tears gathered to her eyes and a barely noticeable thin sheet of ice sprouted out on the ground around them, steadily spreading outwards. "There's no doubt in my mind this will surely seal her fate!" Elsa tried to reign her powers in when she saw the ice expanding, but it was no use. She was too upset, and at this stage they were beyond her control.

As the flakes drifting into the valley increased in quantity and gained momentum, becoming a small scale snow storm and threatening to escalate into something much bigger, Grand Pabbie raised his hands futilely in an attempt to calm the young Queen. "You're getting yourself worked up over nothing. Try and calm yourself."

"It's not nothing when Anna's concerned! It's a matter of great importance! Why can't you see that?" she shouted indignantly. "You expect me to just let it go, but I can't do that when Anna's safety is in question. If something happens to her…" She fell heavily to her knees and bowed her head, her hands pressed together. "Please, Pabbie, she's all I have… all that matters to me. You have to help me!"

Pabbie sighed wearily, seeing that nothing he said would deter her from this path. The blinding fear that controlled her was immensely clouding her judgment. It was quite saddening to the troll. "There may be one thing I can do," he faltered.

Elsa lifted her head hopefully and the ensuing storm quieted and stilled for the moment.

He continued, "I can't remove the feelings since they are true to her and to remove them altogether could result in a drastic personality change. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, correct?"

Elsa shook her head emphatically. She couldn't imagine Anna anything less than hyper and bubbly.

"What I can do is give you something that will block the feelings, as well as the memories associated with them. But be aware that when I say block, that means they will not be gone, just hidden away," he explained, "so there's a chance they could resurface at any time."

That meant she would need to be extremely cautious around Anna and stay vigilant for any signs of returning. "Okay…"

"That is all the help I can give you… but I'm wary of even doing that for two reasons. One, doing this without Anna's consent is wholly unfair to her. She would never agree with this," he said displeased.

Elsa sadly stared hard at her hands. "I know…" she whispered guiltily. In her head she vividly pictured Anna crying and pleading with her not to do it. She tried to convince herself that Anna would understand that she was doing it out of love, out of necessity…

"The second reason," Pabbie continued, "is because there may be unpredictable consequences. I'm no stranger to doing something like this since I have done it many times over the course of my long life, but each case has had mixed results. None of them involved true love though, and that factor alone makes this a very special case." Pabbie informed her, "By doing this there's a chance you will bring about a great deal of pain to your sister. Are you willing to risk that?"

"Pain?" Elsa didn't understand what pain Anna could possibly experience from this if she wasn't going to remember anything. If any of them was going to suffer from this it would be her, and she would gladly endure any pain thrown her way if it meant Anna would be alright. "No pain is worse than death," she said somberly.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Listen to your heart. What is it telling you?"

It wasn't necessary for her to voice it out loud, the answer was written all over her face. Her heart was telling her to love Anna, naturally. Loving Anna was all Elsa could ever wish for and it was so easy to do if she was given the chance. "I don't want this…" she said gloomily. "If I thought I could give her my love without putting her in harm's way, I would do so in a heart beat…"

"You must follow your heart and let it guide you. The heart knows what's best. What you need to do is let your love flow and face your fear head on. The worst thing you could do is bury it away," he warned. The troll took her hands between his own and she tensed at the abrupt contact but did not pull away. "Love, my dear, has its own obstacles, unfortunately. If love was so simple the world would be overflowing with it," he said with a sad smile. "Only the strongest love thrives."

Elsa closed her eyes and a flood of memorable images of a laughing, mischievous and overly happy Anna flashed before her. She remembered the kisses they shared, how lovingly Anna held her hands and how meaningful and pure the words 'I love you' sounded coming from her lips. Of course, Anna always freely blessed her with those words but now they held another, deeper meaning, and she would give anything to continue hearing those words spoken that way, to resume down the path of love they miraculously stumbled upon.

"If only it were that easy," Elsa said wistfully, opening her eyes and watching the gradually brightening sky as the sun ascended. It was a sign that she needed to return to the castle soon before the guards panicked and sent a search party after her. Shaking her hands free from Pabbie, she immediately stood and dusted her knees. "I love Anna… and I don't want to risk her getting hurt because of me again. This… this is the only way… Pabbie, do what you have to do," she implored meekly.

Pabbie sighed with disappointment and said his next words with a heavy heart. "As you wish." Reaching behind and digging into his grassy mane, he plucked out a mushroom hidden underneath. Centering the mushroom on the palm of his hand, Pabbie waved his other hand over the fungus and it glowed a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors that closely resembled the Northern Lights. The light show was very brief and the glowing faded slowly before it ceased altogether. Pabbie stopped his waving and said regretfully, as he held the mushroom out to her, "It is done."

Elsa took it and examined it closely. "What do I do with this?" The mushroom was about the size of the hole her forefinger and thumb created when they touched at the tips and was a pale brown color.

"The mushroom can be eaten as is. Or you can submerge it in a liquid and it will dissolve instantly. If you add it to a drink the entire thing must be consumed for the full effects to kick in, and the effects themselves won't be instantaneous. It may take an hour or so after consumption." Sleep was threatening to take over, but Pabbie fought it, not yet done with the Queen. "What of yourself? Do you wish to have the same done for you, as well? No mushroom is required since you are here personally and I can do the process myself."

It would take care of the pain she was going through now and the pain that was waiting for her in the immediate future, that was for sure. She was tempted to do it… so close to saying yes…

But no. As painful as it was, Elsa wanted to remember her short time with Anna, and at the same time she needed to remember it anyway in order to prevent the possibility of it ever happening again in the event Anna's feelings somehow resurfaced.

Prevent it from happening again… Yes, because that wasn't insanely hard to do considering how well I prevented it the first time, she thought sarcastically. She would need to control her feelings better this time, keep them concealed. Back to her favorite phrase, full circle… It may have failed when it came to her powers but she would make it work in this case. She had to.

Enclosing the mushroom in a trembling fist, she silently shook her head in answer to Pabbie's question. She knew she should say something to him, to thank him for his help, but saying thank you felt wrong some how, so she said, "I'm sorry for keeping you," and turned to her horse, removing the icy restraints that kept the animal rooted in place. She put the mushroom in a safe pocket on the saddle and heaved herself onto the seat.

Pabbie made one last attempt at persuading her to change her mind and said, "I strongly suggest you reconsider going this route. If you sincerely fear for Anna's safety, I recommend once you've calmed down and regained your senses that you find other safer paths to choose. Despite what you might believe, this is not the way." Pabbie's eyelids drooped and he wobbled unsteadily, but he forged on. "I do hope you make the right decision, Your Majesty, but… if you foolishly remain on this course and then wish to remove it at a later time, you should know that a true love's kiss might reverse the effects. It's not one hundred percent guaranteed though."

Elsa acknowledged his wise words with a nod. "I'll keep that in mind." Her mind was made up and she was going to do what she had to do, but she felt a little calmer knowing the effects could possibly be undone. "Good bye, Grand Pabbie," she said, and with a visible sag in her shoulders, she departed.

Pabbie mirrored her body language as he watched her go and shook his head. "Poor child…"

As soon as Elsa was gone, Kristoff lurched out of hiding and confronted Pabbie. "What was that?" he asked in a daze. He followed the whole ordeal the best he could but he was still lost and confused about… well, everything.

"Love trapped in a web of turmoil," Pabbie said gravely, and his body slowly started to curl in on itself as he allowed sleep to finally claim him. "I can only hope that the magic of their true love will see them through this unharmed..."


	17. Heartbreak

**AN: It's been a whole month and I honestly don't have an excuse for not having this done and out sooner... I've been badly procrastinating lately, and I do apologize for that. Now I will take the time to thank all of my readers, like usual. I truly am thankful that you've granted me some of your time by reading my story. I know the direction the story has taken is a bit of a downer but the next two chapters will be a little fun and a nice break from all that (at least I think so...).  
**

Anna twitched in her sleep and stirred herself awake. Blinking tiredly, she rolled over to face the window and deduced by how light it was outside that it was way too damn early for her to be up and about. Her body agreed with her wholeheartedly on this so she flopped her arm over her eyes to shield them from the light and tugged the covers up around her to shroud her in welcoming darkness.

She was comfortably returning to the wonderfulness that was sleep when she realized something that made her flail into a sitting position and brought her to a rapidly wide awake state. Her right hand wildly grasped at the very empty space next to her.

Elsa was gone!

"Elsa?" Anna couldn't believe it. How did Elsa manage to slip away from her without her knowing or being alerted? Whipping the covers up, she peered under them as if expecting to find her sister hiding there despite the obvious fact her own legs were the only visible protrusions above the covers. She flung the covers off and sprawled across the bed on her stomach, checking both sides and even underneath the bed, thinking maybe she pushed Elsa off at some point and her sister was now unconscious on the floor.

Having no luck in that area, Anna cursed herself for not keeping a better eye on her sister as she vaulted out of the bed and skidded into the bathroom, but not before colliding with the wall. She slightly panicked when she found the room lacking Elsa's presence and wondered where Elsa could have disappeared off to.

Her fingers nervously twisted at her hair. Maybe Elsa had retreated to her study and was now buried in her work? With the way last night had gone, Anna doubted she would be up and about doing her royal business, especially at this hour.

No, Anna was almost certain that Elsa had run away… again. Her first and immediate thought was that Elsa fled to her ice castle. She scowled, not looking forward to having another showdown with Marshmallow so soon, but she would go after her sister no matter what. Raging blizzards and abominable snowmen, be damned!

Elsa… what am I going to do with you? Anna thought grumpily, shaking her head as she came out of the bathroom. She was seriously considering investing in a leash. One would come in handy with the frustrating amount of running away Elsa did, that was for sure.

Anna was figuring out what color the leash should be-probably blue since Elsa favored that color and she would be the one wearing it, after all- when her foot kicked a paper ball she didn't notice laying on the floor directly in her path. It skittered away from her and she made a mad dash for it before it escaped underneath the bed. She unravel it to see what it was.

That's odd, Anna thought as she inspected what was obviously a map detailing the location of the trolls. Where did this come from and why was it in Elsa's room? It's existence was puzzling and entirely unnecessary because Anna knew where the trolls were…But Elsa didn't, she remembered.

A chilling thought came to Anna then. The map's presence obviously meant Elsa had gone to see the trolls, or at least was planning it, and there was no conceivable reason for Elsa to rush off to the trolls at this hour without conferring with her first unless… Elsa regretted what happened between them so much that she wanted to forget about it completely, wipe it clean from her head. It was depressing to think about and Anna didn't want to believe it, hoping she was grossly wrong, but it was the only reason that remotely made sense at the moment. She seriously doubted Elsa went for a friendly chat…

"Please don't do what I think you're doing, Elsa," she whispered. Anna set the map on the bed and rigorously paced back and forth, considering her next course of action as she digested this unsettling information. She refused to stand around and do nothing and the only logical thing to do was go after Elsa and stop her from doing something idiotic… The problem was she didn't know how long ago Elsa left, and she had the sinking feeling she was too late…

Growling deep in her throat, Anna marched towards the bedroom door and swore she would kill Elsa if-

Just then the door opened and a disheveled and worn out Elsa hobbled listlessly into the room. She looked up in surprise when she saw Anna up and about.

"Elsa!" The second the Princess saw Elsa a tidal wave of relief flooded her face, erasing the wrinkles of concern that creased her forehead, and she practically tackled her into a hug, crashing into her so hard she would have knocked Elsa off her feet if not for the wall at her back.

Elsa absorbed the impact as the wall made contact with her body and sank into the hug, missing the soothing warmth of her sister's embrace. Returning the hug enthusiastically, she asked gently, pressing her nose into Anna's hairline and inhaling deeply, drowning in her scent, "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Anna murmured, her head snuggling against Elsa's chest. "I woke up and you were gone…" She raised her head and met Elsa's eyes, and the sadness Elsa saw reflected in them made her heart constrict. "I was worried about you."

Flashing a tired smile, Elsa said, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I just needed to think, so I… went for a walk."

"A walk? That must have been a pretty long walk," Anna said flatly, frowning. "Elsa, I know you went to see the trolls." She pointed accusingly to the crinkled map spread out across the bed. "I found that on the floor."

Elsa's throat closed up and she froze in place. She hadn't been thinking when she threw the map after looking at it. Not once did it occur to her that Anna would wake up before she got back, find it and confront her about it. She should have disposed of it properly.

"When I saw the map and figured out where you went, I got so scared! I thought you were going to do something really stupid. Why did you go to them, Elsa? What was so important for you to go see the trolls now? Why couldn't it wait?" Anna probed, and when Elsa didn't make any attempt to answer her right away she pulled back from the hug and searched her sister's face, trying to read her. She couldn't quite decipher what it was, but something in her expression gave Anna a bad feeling and she sucked in a lengthy breath and sank onto the bed. "Elsa, are you… Do you regret it?" she asked dishearteningly. "Do you… not want to be with me like this?"

The extending silence made Anna think she assumed correctly and she kept her head low to hide the traitorous glistening tears that were building up behind her eyelids.

How could she have been so stupid? How could she have believed for one second Elsa wanted anything to do with her? Elsa had fought so hard against it and tried pushing Anna away but Anna stubbornly refused to listen, which was the one thing she was very good at. She should have known better…

The bed sagged with added weight as Elsa took a seat beside her. Forcing the younger girl's head up with a touch of a finger pushing up against her chin, Elsa said, "Anna, I don't regret one single moment being with you, so please don't think that!" She caught her sister's hands with her own. "I want to be with you so, so much." Anna perked up significantly at that. "But… the whole circumstance is a little difficult for me and I'm… I'm so scared. I went to the trolls… for guidance."

Well, that made perfect sense. "If you wanted to visit the trolls I could have gone with you," Anna said annoyed.

Elsa dropped their joined hands into her lap, brushing her thumbs over Anna's knuckles as guilt washed over her. She couldn't admit to Anna why she didn't want her to go with her, so she skirted around the full reason but offered a response that she hoped would be answer enough. "I didn't want to disturb you. You were sleeping…"

"Which is exactly what you should have been doing! Seriously, Elsa, you're a wreck!" Anna huffed, fussing over her sister's unqueenly condition. "I don't care if I was asleep. That's no excuse! You should have woke me up! I should have been there-" Anna stopped mid sentence as if she suddenly realized something. "No… no, you needed to do it alone," she said decidedly. "My being there probably would have made it worse…" Flopping backwards on the bed, she scrubbed her face with her hands roughly and released a drawn out groan. "Crap, Elsa. I'm sorry."

"You're…sorry? What are you apologizing for?" Elsa said, confused.

"For being such an idiot!" Anna said, tossing her hands up in agitation. "I caused this disaster, as usual… Instead of rushing the whole thing like a brainless buffoon, I should have weaned you into it gently… I really wasn't thinking what it could mentally do to you. I just…knew you wanted me and I wanted you and in my head it was…"- Anna sighed blissfully and stretched out her arms- "perfect and so right. Like, I really thought it was a good thing, and I mean, it is a good thing… I hope? But I've upset you…"

"You didn't upset me."

"Oh, yeah, sure. I didn't make you cry or give you nightmares or anything!" Anna sulked.

"None of what happened was your fault, Anna!" Elsa insisted, raising her voice. "Nothing that has happened between us has ever been your fault so don't you dare blame yourself for any of it!"

Anna decided not to argue with her on that point because deep down she knew the truth. All those unnecessary years of separation they suffered through was plainly her fault because she refused to listen when she was told to slow down… and it was most certainly her fault for causing Elsa to freeze the entire kingdom because she just had to get engaged to that dashing prince jackass, and of course it was her fault for putting Elsa in her current state. It was all so obvious and undeniably her fault.

Mindlessly dragging her legs back and forth, her toes barely skimming the floor's surface, Anna steered the talk to one of Elsa's previous words and questioned, "What is it that scares you? Are you afraid of what people will say about us?"

"More what they'll do," Elsa admitted quietly, watching the swinging motion of her sister's legs.

Chewing her lip thoughtfully and sitting up, raising her legs onto the bed to tuck them under her body, Anna said hesitantly, "Well, I mean… I guess technically they don't have to know…" The thought of keeping their love a secret was a bit upsetting to the princess when all she really wanted to do was flaunt it proudly, and why shouldn't she want that? She wasn't ashamed of her love for her sister. Of course, flaunting it right out of the blue probably wasn't the smartest idea… "They don't have to know yet, anyway," she added quickly. "Besides, it's new for us and we'll need to work through a few things." Taking it slow and keeping it a secret would have to do for now, and that was fine with Anna because she would do whatever was necessary until the time was right. "Even if they did find out, what would they do, Elsa? Kill us?" Anna said, laughing lightly.

Naturally it was the worst thing Anna could have possibly said in front of Elsa. Paling drastically at the careless remark and in total disbelief that Anna was treating it as if it was no big deal, Elsa said snippily, "That's not something to joke about, Anna!"

Her laughter died upon seeing how upset and bothered Elsa was and she tried to smooth it over. "Come on, Elsa, they would never hurt us!" Anna said confidently with a dismissive shrug. "They-" Suddenly it clicked. "Oh… Oh, Elsa, your nightmare." Rising to her knees, she rested her hands on Elsa's stiff shoulders. "When you said I died… is that… is that what happened? That's what you dreamt about, isn't it?"

It was all starting to make sense to Anna. Her sister's erratic behavior after waking up from their tender love making had stemmed from that blasted nightmare, and if it contained a scenario where their pure love resulted in them dying tragically... Well, that was something Anna didn't want to even think about, though she knew such a thing would never happen.

But for Elsa to have to experience such a horror? It was no wonder she was freaking out.

"Yes," Elsa answered her, practically hissing, crossing her arms protectively over her stomach.

"Elsa," Anna said gently, "believe me when I tell you we have nothing to worry about." At that moment her bladder decided to make itself known and she wriggled uncomfortably, trying to ignore the sudden persistent need to tinkle. The discussion they were in the middle of was too important to pause and she needed to assuage her sister's irrational fear first and foremost. She drove the heel of her foot into her crotch in the hopes it would squelch or subdue the insistent pressure but it didn't help. "I- Oh, damn it," she swore, feeling a trickle escape her. "Hold on. I really have to pee," she grumbled, sliding off the bed and padding over to the bathroom. "Don't disappear on me, please!" she called, throwing a warning glance over her shoulder at her sister.

As Anna emptied her bladder, she thought about the upcoming days and how hard she would need to work in order to make Elsa comfortable about their relationship and to prove to her how wrong she was about the people of Arendelle wanting to harm them because of it. Once she successfully removed the ridiculous death prophecy that imbedded itself in Elsa's head thanks to that cursed nightmare, everything would be sunshine and happiness between them, just like it should be.

But Anna knew the nightmare wasn't entirely to blame. It didn't help that Elsa was rather distant with the people to begin with. The Queen spent all her time cooped up in the castle slaving away and hardly if ever ventured outside for reasons that weren't business related. That was an issue that needed to be rectified as soon as possible and it was a job Anna was willing and looking forward to taking on. She would introduce Elsa to the world outside the confining walls of the castle and show her how caring and considerate and kind the people truly were.

Eventually Elsa would see the truth and they wouldn't have to hide the beauty that was their love, Anna thought pleasantly as she washed her hands. Looking at her reflection, she noticed the prominent love mark left on her throat and stroked her index finger against it, smiling warmly.

Yes, Anna was positive she would have Elsa relaxed and back to her normal self in no time.

* * *

While Anna was busy in the bathroom, Elsa positioned herself closer to the head of the bed and reached for the glass of water left sitting on top of the table. She opened her other hand, revealing the brown fungus encompassed within and rolled it around on her palm.

She had what she needed literally in the palm of her hand, so why didn't having it make her feel better? The sick feeling had temporarily disappeared the second the mushroom was in her possession, but it was resurfacing. Elsa figured after the last step was taken and the danger of their love being exposed was eliminated she would feel a whole lot better. Everything would return to how it once was, Anna would be safe, and Elsa wouldn't have to worry anymore. All would be well in Arendelle again and it would be like nothing happened at all.

Elsa tried really hard to convince herself these things as she tipped her hand and hesitantly dropped the mushroom into the water. The mushroom broke the placid surface of the water with a plop and created a tiny splash. Pieces of it disintegrated and dissolved right before her eyes as it sizzled and bubbled on its short decent to the bottom of the glass. A few small noticeable pieces remained floating and Elsa swirled the glass around to stir the liquid, mixing up the contents inside until no trace of the mushroom was left.

Gazing into the clear water, Elsa numbly wondered if she was making a grave mistake. The old troll's discouraging words echoed inside her head, and even her heart was insisting she was treading down the wrong path. Plus, Anna didn't deserve to have her memories tossed aside like worthless trash…

But didn't losing those memories outweigh the risk of injury or death? It had worked out before somehow. The situation and the method of removal was different but the intention behind it was still the same and Elsa doubted it would affect Anna negatively.

And she couldn't forget the way Anna had completely disregarded the potential threat of death, either, laughing it off as nothing more than a joke. That greatly disturbed Elsa and pretty much confirmed she was doing the right thing.

But… how could she be so sure? What if Anna was right and she was the one blowing things all out of proportion?

She cursed silently and pressed her hand flat against her forehead, terribly conflicted on how to proceed, feeling as if she were aimlessly going in circles. It didn't help that she had a brain splitting headache and her body was about ready to quit on her. But she refused to sleep until she sorted out this awful mess…

When Anna returned she found Elsa nodding off while sitting erect, her head bowed, her chin resting against her chest. The sight was equally sad and cute, and the Princess couldn't help but smile softly as she approached the dozing Queen, her shadow falling over the older woman. "You poor thing. You're so tired you can't even keep your eyes open," she said, clucking her tongue in disapproval.

With her eyes firmly shut, Elsa unthinkingly mumbled sleepily in response, "They're open." Weren't they? She didn't remember closing them. The sound of sloshing water and the glass being pried free from her hands made her blearily blink them open in time to see Anna place it on the table.

"You need to go to sleep," Anna informed her sternly.

Elsa fell into Anna and slurred against her neck, "No, no… I need to keep you safe. I need to… to think about this."

"Not now, Elsa. You're delirious and in no condition to think properly," Anna chided. Her eyes fixated on the glass of water while she rubbed her sister's back comfortingly. Now that her bladder was emptied her body was making a new demand on her and she found she was incredibly thirsty. Smacking her parched lips together, she retrieved the glass behind Elsa's back and lifted the rim to her mouth, downing the contents swiftly. With her thirst now quenched, she licked her lips and returned the empty glass back to the table.

Unaware of what had transpired, Elsa said, "Anna, I don't know what I'm doing. I think I've made a mistake…"

A mistake. The word sent an unpleasant tingle through Anna's body and she stilled.

Feeling Anna tense up on her, and realizing how her words might have sounded to the Princess's ears, Elsa raised herself so she wasn't hanging on to her so heavily and rushed out, "No, I don't mean you! You're not a mistake." Her fingers danced upon soft, freckled cheeks and she leaned forward and kissed Anna's lips, touching their noses together. "I love you so damn much and I want to be with you forever-"

Anna placed two fingers against her lips to shush her. "Stop right there because that's all I need to know." The words made her heart soar and burst with happiness. "I'd love to resume that forever prospect in the morning." Seeing that the sun was knocking on the window, she corrected, "Erm, like much later in the morning. Or more like the afternoon really because I'm beat and you…" She cupped Elsa's face in her hands and traced her thumbs over the dark circles under her eyes. "You've been through so much and you're exhausted. Please stop worrying yourself to death and get some sleep!" she begged, pushing back on Elsa's shoulders, forcing her to lay down on the bed. "I expect you to still be in bed by the time I wake up. In fact, you should take the day off. No queenly duties unless it's an emergency, doctor's orders!"

Elsa chuckled at that. "You're a doctor now?"

"Yep!" Anna answered cheerily and tucked Elsa into bed, planting a kiss on her lips. Nuzzling her cheek fondly, she said, "I love you." She playfully flicked her sister's nose. "Now go to sleep, you butt!"

Anna lifted herself off the bed to leave but Elsa caught her hand, interlacing their fingers together and keeping her anchored in place. "Anna…"

"It'll be fine," Anna said optimistically, giving Elsa's hand an encouraging squeeze before slipping her hand away slowly, keeping the contact between them until their fingertips were the last to touch.

Elsa watched Anna depart and then glanced at the glass, finally making up her mind. As her eyes settled closed, Elsa decided she would dump the water out the very second she woke up and find another, much better solution like the troll suggested. It wouldn't be simple, but at least Anna's memories would remain intact. And with that pleasant last thought, she welcomed the peace that washed over her…

It lasted no longer than a minute because something she had see just before closing her eyes had snagged her attention.

The glass. Her eyes sprang wide open and she jerked her head up and shoved her face close to the glass, certain she was imagining what she was seeing. Or rather, what she wasn't seeing.

The glass no longer held any water within its confining walls. It was empty.

"No…" she whispered.

The glass had been full when Anna took it from her but it clearly wasn't anymore. She squinted at it long and hard as if by doing so the water that was once within would magically reappear, but nothing changed. It remained empty.

Elsa fumbled out of bed and stumbled towards the door to go after her sister. She lost her balance as her legs gave out on her and her body flew forward, her shoulder striking against the door's surface hard. Holding her shoulder and grimacing from the pain, she faced her back to the door and slowly crumpled to the floor.

It was too late, she realized. It was done and she couldn't take it back now. Burying her head in her hands, she sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

Laying in the comfort of her own bed, her hands clasped in a relaxed pose behind her head, Anna held off on going back to sleep as her mind busily churned out ideas to help Elsa through overcoming her recently revealed and overly irrational fear. The cure would be simple and she was super excited at the thought of taking Elsa around town to meet and greet the people, and not as Elsa the queen, but as Elsa her sister… and perhaps one day soon, as her lover. Anna smiled dreamily and then it withered into a frown as she mentally berated herself for not thinking of coming up with the idea beforehand. The events of the night likely would have been significantly less dramatic and stressful if she had gotten Elsa accustomed to the friendly townspeople sooner, then Elsa wouldn't have panicked in such a way…

Anna rubbed the left side of her chest distractedly at the prickle of discomfort that developed there suddenly. It was hardly noticeable so she didn't pay it all that much attention at first, but it was gradually getting worse and she winced at the pain it produced.

It's probably just gas, she told herself and did her best to ignore it, focusing her thoughts back to the out on the town adventure she would have with Elsa. She really wanted to take Elsa out as soon as possible because she absolutely couldn't wait to show her all the amazing shops. Anna wondered what shops she should take her to first…

But before she could make a decision her thoughts became fuzzy and drifted in and out on her until she couldn't quite remember what she was thinking about, and then all at once her vision blurred and her mind shut down on her, going pitch black for a few seconds. When Anna regained her awareness a moment later she was overwhelmed by a shooting pain that lanced through her chest. Crying out, Anna desperately clawed at the fabric of her nightgown, her fingers digging harshly into her chest as she gasped for air like a fish in need of water, the pain climbing to unbearably agonizing levels. Sweat broke out across her body and the drenched sheets twisted around her form as she writhed in bed like a crazed worm. She wanted to scream and tried to do so, but the crushing fist that had hold of her heart had cruelly squeezed the air from her lungs, suffocating her.

Rolling to her side and scrunching her body into a pitiful fetal position, Anna uttered one feebly whispered, "Elsa…" before the gripping, unrelenting pain forced her into unconsciousness.

* * *

Loud incessant knocking shook Elsa from her slumber.

Huddled on the floor, her knees tucked up close to her chest, Elsa was vaguely aware of a voice calling to her. She shifted her weight and groaned. Her back ached due to her awkward sleeping position and a roaring headache thrashed inside her skull. The knocking coming from somewhere behind her matched the beat of the pounding in her head.

She wasn't sure how long the banging coming from her back had been going on but it seemed endless and she wished it would stop and go away already and let her suffer in peace.

"Your Majesty? Are you in there?"

Elsa tried to answer but was unable to, her jaw hinged shut and entirely uncooperative after having it clenched for so long. She raised her head from the tops of her knees when she heard the doorknob turning and grunted when the door was thrust into her roughly.

"It's stuck…?" the voice outside the door said, sounding perturbed. It was followed by another much harder shove and then a blond head poked through the small gap accessible, craning around the door to see what was causing the blockage. The maid, Laina, looking confused at first, shifted her eyes down and the second she spotted Elsa the confusion transformed to horror. "Oh!" Her head disappeared and the door slammed shut.

Using the handle as leverage to lift herself up, Elsa opened the door and was bombarded with an avalanche of apologies from the panicking and profusely blushing maid. "I'm so sorry, My Queen! I didn't know you were there! I didn't hear you!" Closing her eyes, Elsa silently raised a hand to quiet her.

Laina wondered why the Queen had been in such a weird position, finding it beyond odd. She allowed herself a quick once over of Her Majesty, noting her exceptionally inelegant appearance. There were a few occasions where she was lucky enough to see the Queen after she had literally just woken up and without fail she always looked positively radiant. The Elsa currently before her was the opposite of that and it immediately concerned her. "Are you… alright, Your Majesty?"

Elsa rubbed her throbbing head. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's past lunch, My Queen," Laina answered. "Your meal was waiting for you but neither you nor the Princess-"

Elsa's reaction at the mention of Anna resembled one of a person getting punched solidly in the gut and with nothing more than a startled gasp, Elsa threw herself out of the room, leaving a bewildered Laina to watch her stagger away.

When Elsa was out of her sight Laina took that as her cue to enter the bedroom to begin her daily routine cleaning. Her mouth dropped open and she was struck speechless by what she saw. The room was in complete disarray, which was highly abnormal for the young royal who was always so meticulous and cleanly. But today must have been an off day because there were articles of clothing abandoned in a small heap on the floor and the bed appeared as if it had been thoroughly slept in when usually there was hardly a wrinkle to be seen, even after the Queen spent an entire night sleeping on it. There was a large hole in the wall that seemed to have been put there by a massively thick book that lay on the floor directly beneath it, and when Laina hefted the book she nearly dropped it on her foot because of how heavy it was!

What the hell happened in here? Laina wondered curiously as she placed the book with a bit of effort neatly on top of the dresser close by and then began the task of picking up the clothing piled on the floor. There wasn't that much, just two sets of bras and panties, though Laina did find it strange that there were two pairs. She recognized the undergarments that belonged to the queen easily but the other pair's existence was an intriguing mystery. Loosely holding the panties up, Laina discovered they were heavily soiled and a blush crawled up her neck and splashed across her cheeks as it became glaringly clear to the maid she was holding evidence of the Queen having taken in a lover last night.

And if the condition of the room was any indication, it must have been one wild night…

Hastily, she flung the clothing back where she found it and wiped trembling, clammy hands down the front of her uniform, finding herself incredibly jealous at the thought of the Queen laying with another. She knew she had no right to be jealous but she couldn't help it, and frankly the fact that the Queen had a bed partner to begin with shouldn't have been a surprise. It made perfect sense for someone utterly gorgeous and irresistible as Queen Elsa to take in a lover.

Who could the lucky person be? Laina suspected it was likely the writer of the letter Elsa had questioned her about and a deep sadness enveloped her at that knowledge. If only she had the skill to write such beautiful words, then maybe she could have been the lucky one in the Queen's arms, she thought, sighing wistfully. But she wasn't, and there was no use dwelling on what would never be.

The maid went to work on removing the rumpled sheets and pillows on the bed, and as she did so she came across random strands of coppery hair that could only belong to the Queen's newly acquired lover. She paused in her cleaning and twirled one of the strands between her thumb and middle finger, examining it closely, trying to put a face to its owner. She only knew of one red-head that lived within the castle walls and that was the feisty princess and obviously the hair didn't belong to her because… well, they were sisters! And really, the idea of the Queen and Princess sharing a bed so intimately together was so… it was such a ridiculous thought to even begin to entertain and Laina couldn't believe her mind was thinking such things.

Treading in unknown territory and unable to come up with a logical answer behind the red strands the culprit left behind, Laina cut off all thoughts about the mysterious lover and resumed her work, letting her mind wander instead to familiar delicious thoughts of her queen.

* * *

What have you done? How could you do this to her? Elsa silently screamed at herself as she briskly walked to Anna's room. She couldn't believe her stupidity. She had blindly trusted the trolls when she knew so little about them, and for all she knew the mushroom Pabbie had given to her could have been poisonous! And she had allowed Anna to drink the contaminated water…

A gruesome and heart piercing thought brought her to a screeching halt, all the air rushing from her in a single exhale and she shivered violently from the sudden coldness that slithered up her spine.

What if she killed her? Anna could be lying cold and dead in her room at this very moment and it would be all her fault…

"Oh, no…"

Her legs were back in motion and she raced down the halls, creating a trail of ice behind her. "Anna, please be okay!" she prayed out loud as she arrived in front of her sister's door. Anna had to be okay, she just had to!

Elsa hesitated where she stood, one hand clutched tightly to her chest while her other hovered above the knob. She was afraid to go in, afraid of what she might see but she shakily closed her hand around the doorknob and pushed the door open, peering in cautiously. Her eyes immediately alighted on the bed and the unmoving lumpy mass on top of it that was covered head to toe by a blanket. "Anna?" she called timidly.

There was no answer.

Approaching slowly, Elsa crept closer to the bed inch by little inch. "Anna?"

Again she received no response and no movement was detected. A powerful sense of dread consumed her body as she tentatively stretched a hand out to touch the hidden bundled form.

Just before she made contact, a very loud grating snore scared the crap out of Elsa, causing her to jump and choke back a scream. Frightening as it was, the sound was also oddly beautiful to Elsa's ears because it was a promising sign that meant Anna was still breathing and not dead as she feared.

Anna was alive, she thought, happily relieved by this wonderful news. But while the sound was encouraging to hear, Elsa needed to visually see that her sister was fine. She tried to peel back the blanket to get a look but it got stuck and wouldn't budge. Elsa caught sight of knuckles sticking out from the top of the blanket and discovered the reason she couldn't remove it was largely due to the fact it was trapped in a closed fist.

"Anna." Trying to be gentle, Elsa tugged it experimentally, but the grip Anna had on it was strong. "Anna, wake up."

"Go away," came a sleepy, muffled reply.

Grunting, Elsa ripped the covers from her little sister with a hard yank, unveiling the sleeping form beneath. Anna was laying on her side, limbs askew in a position that looked uncomfortable to Elsa but was obviously perfectly okay for the Princess. Drool trickled out of the corner of Anna's mouth, dribbling onto her pillow and creating a large wet stain.

Groaning loudly and with her eyes still closed, Anna blindly grabbed for the blanket that was rudely taken from her but Elsa had moved it far out of her reach. With her sleep disturbed, Anna wiped her mouth and peeked through the slits of her eyelids and complained, "Can't I just sleep in today?" Yawning outrageously, her mouth gaping wide like a roaring lion's, Anna stretched her limbs and grumpily blinked at her sister. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

Without warning, Anna exploded upwards and latched on to Elsa, pulling her down onto the bed and rocking her in a bone crushing hug. "Elsa! It's really you! You're here! Oh, I've missed you so, so much!" she said tearfully, rubbing her face against Elsa's neck.

Caught off guard by the back cracking attack and emotional display, Elsa slowly returned the hug and said uncertainly, "Anna?"

Anna laughed sheepishly and sniffled. "I'm sorry. It's ridiculous. I just… I don't know." She couldn't explain it exactly, but she had this crazy sensation of losing Elsa, as if someone took her away from her. For her to wake up and find Elsa within reaching distance was a great comfort.

Elsa propped her chin on Anna's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Um… yeah? I mean, I think so?" Anna freed her sister from the embrace and smiled at her, hoping to receive one in exchange. "I think I might have had a bad dream but I can't remember anything about it… which is a good thing, I guess, because it must have been terrible..."

Elsa's eyes were drawn to the right side of Anna's head and her face drained of color.

Seeing her sister's strange reaction, Anna immediately became wary and touched the area in question. "What? What is it?"

"Your hair…" Elsa managed weakly.

"Oh, that." Anna ruffled her unruly hair. She'd almost forgotten that Elsa had never experienced the wild jungle woman appearance that her hair took on after a night of sleep. "I know it looks like a scary mess but it's nothing to be shocked about. It gets like this all the time," she explained, brushing it off. Her explanation did not pacify the Queen like she thought it would.

"It's not that," Elsa said.

"Then what?"

Elsa brought a lock of Anna's hair into view and Anna glanced at it in confusion, unsure of what her sister was trying to show her. Then she gasped and snatched it up, finally noticing the change in color. The lock was white, much like it had been for a large portion of her life. After being reunited with Elsa on the fjord, it had returned to its normal color and it took a while for her to get used to it. "I don't understand," she said, her mind reeling. "What… How did this happen? Why?"

It was obvious the change had something to do with the mushroom's powers, and as Elsa mutely watched Anna have a mini freak out over this change, unable to enlighten her sister on why it occurred, she sincerely hoped it was nothing more than a harmless side effect. If a slight hair coloring was the brunt of the consequences Pabbie had mentioned could possibly happen, then it wasn't that bad considering…

Elsa checked Anna over carefully, needing assurance that she was otherwise uninjured by the mushroom's effects. "Anna, I need you to be honest with me. How do you feel?"

It was a very good question and one that Anna realized was somewhat difficult to answer. "Strange," Anna said truthfully. "Certain parts of my body feel… incredibly sore, but not in a bad way if that makes any sense?" Concentrating on scratching at an itch on the side of her neck, Anna missed the blush that surfaced on Elsa's cheeks at her comment, chasing away the paleness that coated them previously. Anna's fingers skimmed against a hickey that she couldn't see, running down her neck and coming to a stop at the left side of her chest. She patted the area, recalling the affliction she suffered from earlier and chocking the lingering discomforting tick that still remained down as a really bad case of gas. She didn't share that information with Elsa because she didn't think it was something Elsa needed to be bothered with hearing about.

Aside from the soreness and what could only be gas pains, there was also a feeling of emptiness inside Anna, like something was missing. She couldn't put a name to it but she noticed it had dulled somewhat with Elsa's presence, though not by much. Anna figured it was just a sign that she was hungry and her stomach asserted that point by growling rudely. "I could go for some chow right about now."

"Anna, do you remember anything about last night?" Elsa inquired anxiously. After a small pause, she added, "About… us?"

"Last night?" Anna tried to think about what she did last night but her mind was hazy and when she concentrated too hard it actually started to hurt, so she stopped and shook her head. "I can't say I do…" Why couldn't she remember anything? And what did Elsa mean 'about us?' "Why, Elsa, what happened? What's going on?"

Elsa didn't answer her right away. If Anna didn't remember the events of the previous night then it was safe to say the mushroom had been successful and did what it was supposed to do, and other than the hair color change, everything seemed to have gone smoothly. Anna was fine and most importantly safe, so it had all worked out in the end…

Seeing that Anna was waiting for an explanation, Elsa formulated a lie that would best describe the situation. "You… got your hands on some strong wine and had a bit too much to drink," she fibbed, jiggling her leg nervously. She pushed down on her leg to put a stop to the shaking but the uncontrollable movement wouldn't cease.

Flabbergasted, Anna said, "Wait, I did what? You mean I was drunk?" Anna drank champagne and sometimes even wine on special occasions but never enough to get remotely tipsy, so this news was a little more than surprising to her. She would have called bullshit, but the fact that she didn't recall one damn thing pretty much supported the claim Elsa was making, and it wasn't like Elsa would lie to her about such a thing... Anna never had a hangover before but she supposed the weirdness she was experiencing was what one would feel like.

Nodding grimly and looking troubled, Elsa said, "You should stay in bed and rest, Anna. I'll have a servant bring you something to eat."

Part of Anna wanted to happily accept Elsa's suggestion. She was still terribly tired and getting a couple more hours of rest wouldn't hurt, but she didn't want to waste away the rest of her day. She was sure that catching some sunlight would rejuvenate her. "That's okay, Elsa! I'm fine. I can go down to the dining room and eat with you!"

Elsa grimaced. Food was the last thing on her mind, and the mere thought of it, coupled with the fact that she was blatantly lying to her sister made her sicker than she was already feeling. Ashamed and disgusted with herself, she struggled to swallow and said honestly, "I'm not hungry so I won't be joining you if you want to eat downstairs."

"Oh…" Anna was disappointed, but she didn't let it bother her too much. "You didn't sleep well, I can tell," she said sympathetically. "That's my fault, isn't it? I'm sorry if I scared you with my drunken ways." She roped Elsa into another deep hug. "You're such a big sister," she murmured sweetly. "I love you."

I'm a horrible big sister, Elsa thought sullenly. I'm sorry, Anna. "I love you…" she replied, controlling her emotions as best she could so as not to alert Anna to her sadness, fighting back tears.

Yes, she was a horrible sister. She had disrespected Anna's trust and that was inexcusable, regardless of the reason behind it. If Anna ever found out what she did, she would never forgive her and would probably even hate her for it… Or maybe she would understand…

She would never know because Anna would never find out.

A few of Elsa's tears escaped and splattered on Anna's bare neck and the tickling sensation it left behind made Anna think it was a bug crawling on her, so she absently brushed it off only to have another quickly take its place. She automatically repeated the motion and that's when the dampness on her fingers registered and she sensed something was wrong. So quiet that she almost missed it, but because she was paying close attention after discovering the wetness, she heard more than felt Elsa shudder quietly. The tremors were in perfect sink with the plops on her neck, giving away the fact that she was crying. "Elsa?"

Elsa held her sister closer to her and planted a tender kiss directly on her forehead, wishing she could repeat the action on her lips as well and reminding herself she couldn't. Never again would she have the privilege to do… and that was how it had to be. The short pleasant moments they managed to share together would have to last her forever so she permanently engraved those precious moments in her head.

"Elsa?" Anna repeated.

"I'm just glad you're alright," Elsa said emotionally. A surge of relief swept through her and she cracked a smile for her sister, and as she gazed into Anna's lively eyes, she swore she would be the true sister Anna needed her to be.


	18. Turds Of Love

**AN: Yeah so I've noticed these chapters have been getting longer... I hope you guys don't mind it. :o Ha... Next chap likely won't be as long... Further more, I hope the story in general is at least keeping you guys entertained. :/ I'm just writing what my brain tells me to and I'd hate to displease or bore anyone with my writing but alas, I know I won't be able to please everyone! As usual, I embrace all and any reviews you guys dish out. :D Time wise for putting out future chapters... I've noticed it's been taking me about a month and I'm not happy with that and will try my best to get them out so much sooner, but that depends on work mostly... It takes up a lot of my free time, unfortunately. -_- Okay, I'll shut up and let you guys read the new chapter! If you want to...  
**

Things were different, and not a good different.

Anna couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but there was something off about her relationship with her sister. They were getting along fairly well, as far as she could tell, and nothing seemed particularly out of the ordinary, at first. But as the days came and went, Anna noticed Elsa gradually becoming withdrawn. The Queen's bright and happy smiles that Anna adored seeing and had very little problem bringing to light were becoming less frequent and more often than not were replaced with flashes of sad and troubled ones.

Something was bothering Elsa, so Anna, naturally wanting to get to the bottom of it, confronted Elsa. But Elsa deflected and steered around her questions or smoothly claimed there was nothing wrong, and any attempts to wrestle anything more out of her sister was futile. Anna reluctantly dropped it and hoped whatever issue was plaguing Elsa would pass quickly…

It didn't. It persisted and even worsened.

Anna tried her best to kill whatever was sucking the cheer from her sister by showering her with an abundance of love and affection, and while her attention should have made things so much better for Elsa, Anna discovered much to her dismay that it only made everything a whole lot worse! There was once a time when Elsa would accept her hugs eagerly and without thought, but suddenly she would get all jumpy and flinch, growing rigid at the slightest touch Anna gave her.

Anna didn't even have to touch Elsa, as a matter of fact. Her mere presence alone appeared to bring great tension to the Queen. It was confusing and unsettling for the Princess… It was almost like Elsa was afraid of her, like she thought Anna was going to maul her to death. Anna knew it was a ludicrous notion but that's exactly what it felt like to her. She didn't know what to do about it other than stay far away from her sister, which wasn't a doable option. She physically couldn't not touch Elsa! Anna needed the contact almost like she needed to breathe in air. It was vital to her and kept her functioning normally throughout the day. Being around Elsa brought on a calmness in her and drove away the pain in her chest she'd been suffering from ever since she woke up that strange day. Her closeness with Elsa just felt so right… but the thought that she was hurting Elsa in some way shape or form as a result of it worried her.

She told herself she was over thinking things and that there had to be another, more logical reason behind Elsa's recent distant behavior. She narrowed down the probable cause almost immediately.

Elsa was a stickler for working herself practically to death, immersing herself heavily in boring royal stuff daily. It was her duty, sure, but Elsa took it way too seriously. Insanely so… She hardly if ever took a break. Anna didn't know how Elsa managed it, frankly. There was no way she herself would be able to sit still long enough to get such mind numbing, energy draining work done… It wouldn't be at all surprising to Anna if all those hours of tirelessly working was finally catching up with Elsa. It was a perfect explanation for her nervous and down in the dumps attitude lately, plus it was so much more bearable to believe than thinking she was the cause…

Regardless of the reason behind Elsa's depressing mood, Anna vowed she would have her beaming again in no time. She was going to make it her mission to return Elsa back to her normal self again and she wouldn't quit until she was successful. Anna decided to start by surprising Elsa with something soft, simple, delicious and in the form of chocolate!

Brownies! Anna thought excitedly and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

One of the cooks had stepped out for a quick bathroom break and was returning to the kitchen when he spotted the rambunctious Princess in the same hall as him. He did a double take, thinking he was seeing things, but it was no mirage. Anna was skipping along and humming, swinging her skirts exuberantly. The cook watched her uneasily, expecting-hoping- she would alter her course and head elsewhere, preferably a path directly opposite from the kitchen.

But as he continued to vigilantly watch the redheaded royal, her direction never once faltered and it became plainly evident where she was headed. As soon as he realized her intended destination he ran like a mad man, dashing into the bustling, noisy kitchen in a panic and hollering at the top of his lungs so all present could hear, "The Princess is coming!"

Loud gasps scattered around the room and the hard working staff halted whatever task they were in the process of doing. Fearfully they turned to the top chef, waiting for instructions on what to do.

Chef Baxter threw down the dough he was kneading and removed his work gloves. He approached the younger cook, placing his hands on his shoulders and looking him squarely in the eyes. "Are you certain of this, Colton?" There had been several false alarms in the past and he didn't want to unnecessarily stop productivity because of another one.

"Yes, there's no mistaking it!" Colton said, nodding so fast that Baxter was afraid his thin neck would snap. "She's headed this way!" His fear was real and clear, giving Baxter no reason to doubt the young cook.

Baxter took in this news solemnly. The Princess's presence in the kitchen only meant one thing: chaos and destruction was inevitable. Krumkake hunting was the main culprit behind the attacks- the Princess was utterly ruthless when on the hunt for the delicacy- but they were not isolated to that sweet alone, though the damage was definitely more excessive on a krumkake quest. The Princess mainly struck under the cover of darkness, when no one was around to witness it or put a stop to it. The kitchen staff would later stumble upon the aftermath of the attack in the early morning hours.

Despite the pattern in her krumkake escapades, Baxter took precautions and devised a defense plan in the event the Princess made a surprise appearance while they were in the midst of working.

And it would seem his defense plan would be put to action for the first time ever.

Baxter clenched his jaw and spun around to face the rest of his charges. "Get to your defense stations! Now!" he bellowed. "There's no time to lose! Ready the emergency chocolate fondue canon!" He barked orders and directed his staff where he needed them to be and everybody complied effectively and efficiently. Once everyone was properly in their battle positions the Chef faced the entrance, lowering his chef hat and taking an aggressive stance, hands on hips. "This could get ugly."

They waited with bated breath for the storm to swoop in and wreak havoc on them.

The kitchen doors burst open and the Princess sauntered in vivaciously. "Hell- Oh!" She skittered to a stop, surprised by the lack of movement and how unusually quiet it was inside the kitchen. Well, relatively quiet aside from the rattling of pot lids crashing together that one shaking servant was cowering behind. Anna scanned the impenetrable rows the kitchen hands had formed. They looked on guard and were equipped with kitchen utensils and various food items, as if readying for a fight from an unknown enemy.

"Um… am I interrupting something?" Anna inquired warily.

"Princess Anna!" Chef Baxter bowed and asked politely, "What brings you here, Your Highness?"

"How are you doing, Chef Baxter?" Anna greeted boisterously and stepped further into the room. All eyes in the room followed her every movement as she procured a stool and sat down on it, flattening her skirts beneath her. "Listen, I wanted to do something for Elsa, like make her some brownies."

Since the kitchen wasn't being torn apart, Baxter allowed himself to relax and covertly alerted his staff to stand down. They did so, albeit hesitantly, lowering their weapons and trudging back to their original work stations to resume their initial tasks.

Baxter contemplated Anna's request carefully and decided it was innocent and easy to do. He had no qualms about fulfilling her wish. "That's not a problem, Your Highness. We'll get right on baking those brownies for you! We'll have them done and ready for the Queen as soon as possible!" he promised.

"Oh, no! You don't understand! I want to make them myself," she explained, pointing at her chest.

"What?" Baxter blinked at her in astonishment, sure he misheard what she said. "You?"

Anna bobbed her head with a pleased smile. "Yep!"

"You want to make them?" he repeated slowly.

The corners of her mouth dipped into a frown and Anna rolled her eyes, sighing impatiently. "Yes, that's what I said. Pay attention!"

"My apologies, Your Highness." Baxter removed his chef hat to scratch behind his ear unhindered. "It's just… you've never baked anything before, have you?"

"Well, no," Anna agreed. "But it wouldn't hurt to try something new! You could help me out a little by directing me on what to do! Or you could just give me the ingredients and I can figure the rest out on my own!" she said flippantly. "You just throw everything in a bowl and mix it up a bit, right? And then you heat it up in the oven for a while? Pssh, that's easy as baking pie! Which I've never done before… but, I mean, it can't be that hard!"

The chef knew the answer he should give the Princess. His kitchen was in pristine shape now and if he let the Princess have her way it wouldn't stay that way. Anna was admittedly clumsy and that fact alone proved she lacked the skills required for baking, and knowing his luck, she'd end up burning the entire castle down. He wanted to avoid such drastic possibilities at all costs. The 'no' was perched on the tip of his tongue, ready to be set free.

But as he looked at the happily hopeful, expectant young woman bouncing in her seat, Baxter couldn't bring himself to deny her. It would have been too much like kicking an adorably cute and cuddly puppy. Releasing a long, drawn sigh, the chef muttered under his breath, "I'm going to regret this…" Much louder, so the Princess could hear him, he relented, "Okay, Your Highness! If that's what you wish, you may bake the brownies with your own hands."

Whooping joyfully, Anna launched off the stool, upending it in the process. "Sweet!" She giggled at her own joke. "Heh. Get it? Sweet?" Everyone just groaned in response. "Party poopers," she grumbled.

Baxter handed her an extra apron. He sensed the apron wouldn't prevent her from getting herself messy but he gave it to her out of courtesy. Anna accepted it graciously and it took her a few fumbling tries but she managed to tie it on securely. She then glanced at his white chef's hat with great interest. "Ooh, can I wear a hat? If I'm going to bake something I should be properly dressed for the part." Baxter wordlessly gave her his and she crookedly placed it on her head.

Now equipped with the right attire, Anna rolled her wrists and cracked her knuckles. "Alright! Let's get crackalackin!" Rubbing her hands together she said, "What do I do first?" Scanning the stuff laid out on the counter before her, Anna picked up the closest object-a cheese grater- and looked to Baxter for direction.

"We… um… won't be needing that." Baxter took the item from her and set it aside.

After providing her with the essential tools necessary for brownie baking, the chef tried to offer more of his assistance but Anna was adamant on doing majority of the work by herself. She started with the eggs and went to crack one open but the fragile, round object slipped out of her hand, shooting up high in the air and arching gracefully before smashing against Baxter's exposed head. "Oops, sorry!" Anna apologized as yoke dripped down the chef's unenthused face.

Several failed egg opening attempts later, Anna managed to get enough into the bowl before she moved on to the flour. She broke open the bag and a few loose particles escaped and wafted up and entered through her nostrils, tickling the tiny hairs lodged on the inside of her nose. Wriggling her nose, Anna turned her head away from the flour on the counter to avoid making a huge mess as a sneeze built up within her. She waited a reasonably decent amount of time, and when nothing happened she relaxed and faced forward again… and promptly sneezed, sending the powdery substance in the bag exploding forward and poofing across Baxter's face.

Wiping his face clean of flour with his bare hands, Baxter said patiently, "Princess Anna, perhaps it would be best if you let me-"

"No, no! I've got it!" Anna said breezily.

Baxter tried not to cringe as he silently observed the Princess concoct a bowl of mush out of the ingredients he passed her, dumping everything carelessly together in the mixing bowl, not bothering with a measuring cup to see if she was putting in the proper amounts required to make what Baxter knew would create a perfect brownie.

Anna mixed the brownie batter and then concentrated on individually molding the goop into the shape of tiny hearts on a greased tray, lining them up neatly. The idea to make them into hearts just came to her suddenly and Anna personally thought it was a nice touch and a fun change from the traditional, boring square shaped ones. She hoped Elsa would appreciate it.

When the bowl was empty of batter and she filled several trays with her heart-shaped art, Anna popped the trays in the ovens.

I could totally get used to doing this more often, she thought contentedly. Maybe she could even get Elsa to join in! Wouldn't that be fun and exciting? She had to remember to bring it up when she brought the brownies to her later.

Time elapsed at what seemed like a snail's pace to Anna and she became bored quickly as she waited for the brownies to bake. Her feet bounced against the stool leg, expressing her impatience. She tried to keep herself occupied by watching what the rest of the staff was doing but Baxter asked her to remain seated so she wouldn't disturb anyone while they worked. Grudgingly she obliged, but she itched to walk around and ask questions or even participate in some of the activities.

With nothing else to keep her entertained, Anna's mind drifted dangerously to her elusive krumkake. It had been so long since the dessert graced her taste buds and the Princess was losing hope of ever tasting the sweet morsel ever again. She couldn't remember when she last did a search for them and decided a hunt was definitely in order soon, perhaps later on… Maybe she would get lucky tonight. She salivated at the thought.

Finally the timer buzzed, signaling to Anna her brownies were done. Anna wasted no time rushing to the oven. Donning a mitt, her chest bubbling with excitement instead of the nagging pain for a change, Anna pulled out the first tray and set it on the counter. All work stopped in the kitchen as everyone crowded around to get look at her creation.

"Oh, dear…" Anna said, poking a brownie with her finger. "They look like… poo." Snickers and chuckles and muffled laughter filled the room. Literally the brownies she painstakingly molded had deformed while baking and now resembled turds more than hearts. Anna's shoulders sagged at the result of her failure and she shoved the tray away, folding her arms together.

Leaning over her, Baxter dragged the tray closer and asked, "How do they taste?"

Anna shrugged half-heartedly. "Probably as bad as they look," she answered sourly.

He reached for one and paused, his hand a few inches away. "May I?" She nodded a go ahead. The chef picked a small turd, pinching it between his forefinger and thumb. He raised it to his lips and tentatively chomped down on one end, chewing it carefully. His chewing seemed to be never-ending as he tested the treat with his mouth thoroughly before swallowing the bite. Once all trace of the brownie was gone, he said vaguely, "It could be worse."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm not keeling over, so that's promising," Baxter commented. Anna's face fell. "I'm kidding, Your Highness. In truth, they aren't the worst I've tasted. They're certainly edible!"

"But not worthy of a queen," Anna finished dejectedly.

"Perhaps you should let her be the judge of that?" he suggested kindly.

Anna considered it. "Or…maybe I could make a new batch?" she said hopefully.

Baxter waved that idea away immediately and said in a rush, "Nonsense! You will do no such thing! These are special brownies because they are made with love! I assure you, the Queen will be very pleased with them!"

"You think so?" Anna looked doubtful.

"Of course!" He piled the brownie turds onto a plate and balanced it expertly on one hand. "Would you like me to have them delivered to Her Majesty now?"

"That's okay!" Anna took the plate from him. She tried to imitate him by balancing it on her own hand but almost sent her hard work tumbling to the floor in the process. Somehow she managed to prevent any from actually falling off and grasped the plate with both hands firmly. "I've got it, thanks!" Anna exited the kitchen and a collective sigh of relief followed her out.

As she walked through the castle halls on her way to the study, where the hard working Queen would undoubtedly be, Anna knew the chef was right. Even if they looked and probably tasted like crap, the brownies were made with love, at least, and that's what mattered the most.

* * *

Elsa was a fool to think she could return to suppressing her true feelings for Anna. She tried, she really did, but it had become damn near impossible after what transpired between them…

Too often she found herself rapidly slipping into the danger zone, unthinkingly dipping down to kiss Anna's irresistible lips, barely managing in time to adjust her aim so her own lips landed safely on Anna's cheek instead.

Anna wasn't helping matters, either. She had become more touchy than usual. The touches in general were innocent and nothing more than sisterly but they tended to linger too long, and at times it was nerve wracking for Elsa to keep her an arm's length away.

She was in far too deep and if she didn't find a solution to help lessen or deter her strong desire to be with Anna as soon as possible she would end up putting Anna in danger again and that she could not risk. The nightmares she endured made certain she was reminded of that important fact regularly. They weren't on the same scale as the one she suffered through on that one fateful night but they still left her shaken.

Yes, she was in need of a permanent solution to keep herself safely away from Anna that didn't involve out right shutting her sister out again. After much consideration, Elsa came up with the best option… Since she was the queen she was tasked with the awesome responsibility of providing an heir to secure Arendelle's future, and to do that she needed to find herself a husband… The thought of being with a man- or anyone who wasn't Anna- made her shudder with revulsion. But as disgusting as the idea was to her, it was unfortunately, inevitably necessary… and by searching for a partner for herself, she'd be killing two birds with one stone because once she was promised to another there would be no room whatsoever for entertaining wild thoughts about her sister.

So Elsa locked herself in her study and reluctantly but actively began the chore of searching for a potential suitor by going through the piles of letters she received since she started her reign as queen. Unsurprisingly, Elsa found that all of the letters were generic and dull and she would have assumed she was reading the same letter over and over again if not for the different names signed at the bottom of each one. She sifted through the letters busily, and as she did so she couldn't help but think of one letter in particular and how different and meaningful and well written it had been- Anna's letter.

The tattered remains of said letter were tucked away safely in her room. The condition of the letter was a real shame because she would have loved to re-read it often but portions of it were too destroyed to be illegible. She really wished she could have enjoyed the magnificent piece properly upon first receiving it instead of freaking out over it…

There were plenty of things- all centered around Anna, of course- she wished she could have enjoyed properly. Sadly she would never get that chance. Only in her dreams…

Her eyes stopped reading the letters, her mind abandoning the suitor ship in favor of setting sail on another more enjoyable one as Elsa found herself effortlessly fantasizing about Anna. Now that she knew what Anna felt and tasted like it had become so much easier…

_Instead of the mountain of endless papers that usually occupied the top of her desk, her gorgeous red-headed sister sat upon it, something that was much more worthy of her attention._

_Anna's unwavering gaze was predatory, her alluring smile confident and knowing. Grabbing Elsa by the collar of her dress, Anna tugged her forward and kissed her senselessly, and when the kiss ended it left the Queen gasping desperately for air. Smirking against her lips, the feisty Princess commanded quietly, "Watch me, Elsa." She released her grip, forcing Elsa to fall back heavily into her chair, and with a snap of her fingers her dress spontaneously combusted._

_The sudden blaze was dazzling to the eyes and temporarily blinded Elsa, but the flames and the smoke quickly dispersed and she was presented with a heart stopping sight when a scorching hot, delectably naked Anna was unveiled. Elsa's mouth flopped open and she blinked in shock. "Wha…?"_

_Dropping her smooth act briefly, Anna snickered at her reaction. "You weren't expecting that were you? As you can see, I have powers too." Winking, Anna raised the palm of one hand upwards and allowed a burst of flames to erupt from it. "Amazing, isn't it?"_

_Mesmerized by the sight, Elsa nodded mutely in agreement._

Secretly Elsa always wondered what it would have been like if Anna possessed powers similar to her own. The ability to control fire seemed fitting for the younger girl, though such a combination would likely prove disastrous… but Elsa would gladly burn in Anna's raging fire any time.

_Anna leaned back on her hands and unabashedly splayed her legs open wide for Elsa's viewing pleasure. Elsa nearly fainted on the spot at the blatant display. "Do I make you hot, Elsa?" Cupping a small breast voluptuously, Anna gave it a squeeze and released a low, lusty moan that sent a roiling heat straight to Elsa's lower region and made her shudder pleasantly._

_Rolling a distended nipple between her fingers, Anna trailed her hand lower, sliding it down her stomach and abdomen to trace her inner thigh with teasing lazy circles, luring Elsa closer to her fiery center. "Does my intense heat make you melt?" she teased, her voice dripping thick with desire as she leisurely dipped a single digit between glistening folds._

_Practically panting, Elsa abandoned her chair, kicking it away to give herself some room to kneel before the Princess. "Yes, oh, yes." Her mouth instantly watered at the heady scent that pervaded her nose and she groaned with unrestrained want and, closing her eyes, she moved in to feast upon her sister's generous offering… but instead of her mouth finding purchase on Anna's dainty, potent treasure, Elsa's lips bumped against something hard and bony. Elsa emitted a deep rumble of annoyance, wondering what could possibly be impeding her path and opened her eyes to find Anna covering herself with a well placed hand._

_"No," Elsa whined and tried to move the offensive blocking hand aside, but Anna refused to budge, chuckling, apparently enjoying the torture she was putting Elsa in by denying her. Lifting pleading eyes to highly amused blue-green ones, Elsa whimpered, "Please, Anna…I need you."_

_It didn't take much to convince Anna to relinquish her most prized possession. Her hand strayed from her intimate area and settled comfortably behind Elsa's head. "Then taste me. Enjoy me. Make me yours," Anna said breathily, guiding Elsa's face to her awaiting core with a light push, her head falling back blissfully as her sister's tongue swiftly dove in without preamble, stroking her flawless, fragrant flesh with relish._

_Elsa's hands curved around Anna's bare backside, driving her closer to her unquestionably hungry mouth as Anna's overflowing heat encompassed her…_

* * *

Anna moseyed her way to the study with her plate of freshly baked brownies in hand. She stopped at the door and, holding the plate in one hand and being extra careful not to drop her irregularly shaped treats, she formed a fist to knock but decided to just walk in and surprise Elsa. Anna attempted to open the door and discovered it was locked.

That's odd, she thought. Huffing in frustration, Anna glared at the barrier unhappily, wondering about the reason behind the doors locked status. Was Elsa intentionally trying to keep her out? Did she not want to see Anna? Getting the answer wouldn't be too hard. All she had to do was knock to find out… but she was afraid of what the answer would be.

Doors were the Princess's worst enemy growing up and she refused to let another measly locked door keep her from seeing her sister. Setting the plate of chocolate turds on the floor, Anna took the fork she brought with her in case Elsa didn't want to dirty her fingers and looked from it to the door and back again. She could put the utensil to good use by shoving one end of it somewhere specific… but that required a few minor adjustments.

Anna bent the tines of the fork a certain way so she could insert it into the keyhole below the doorknob. She diligently jiggled the silverware up and down and around until she heard a satisfied click. "Ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly and kissed the fork before tossing the now useless item aside and scooping her brownies up off the floor.

Entering the room gingerly, Anna braced herself for the admonishment she was expecting to be fired at her for the intrusion.

Nothing but silence greeted her.

It was so bizarrely quiet that Anna seriously thought she had guessed wrong about Elsa being holed up in the study for a split second until she noticed an unmistakable figure sitting behind the desk that told her otherwise.

Elsa had to have heard her come in, so why wasn't she saying anything? Anna wondered. "Elsa?" Did she fall asleep? Anna kicked the door shut with her foot and lightly treaded closer. Or was she so engrossed with her work that she was tuning everything else out?

On closer inspection it was obvious to Anna that Elsa wasn't doing either of those things. Her sister's eyes were clearly open, though they were glazed over and vacantly staring off into space. Elsa was resting her cheek on a propped up hand and a string of saliva was leaking from the corner of her partially opened mouth, dribbling down her wrist and forming a small puddle on the desk's surface beside her elbow.

Anna giggled in fascination at what she was witnessing. The Queen of Arendelle drooling? She never would have thought such a thing was possible coming from Elsa! Elsa seemed too perfect to do something so undignified. But she is only human, Anna had to remind herself, and it wasn't like she was doing it out in public somewhere.

As interesting and funny it was, Anna decided it was time to snap her sister out of whatever trance she was in. "Hey, Elsa!" She placed her brownies on the desk and crouched low to get in Elsa's direct line of sight. "Oh, El-sah!" she called in a singsong, waving sporadically to try and garner her sister's attention. Elsa continued staring unseeingly ahead, showing no signs of acknowledgement. "Where are you?" Anna mused out loud.

Sighing softly, Elsa dragged her tongue wetly across her lips, her chest rapidly rising and falling and her free hand flexing rhythmically, grasping at nothing but air.

Apparently the queen was not immune to daydreaming, either… and boy what a daydream she was experiencing if her body language was any indication.

Transfixed by the incredible sight as she observed her sister, Anna's heart fluttered. She'd noticed lately the many instances where her heart would seemingly react to Elsa. The happy, enjoyable moments they shared always brought a warm, fuzzy sensation, while anything remotely unpleasant, no matter how small, caused her unexplainable pain. Anna couldn't recall such a thing occurring before, so whatever brought it on was a mystery to her.

Regardless of how strange it seemed, she had no complaints about whatever this thing she was feeling now was… It was preferable over the pain, that was for sure.

Planting her elbows on the desk, Anna leaned forward and reached out a hand to touch Elsa's cheek and was surprised to find how burning hot her skin felt!

All her previous waving and calling had zero effect on awakening Elsa from the spell she was under, but it was Anna's touch alone that finally sparked a reaction. Elsa's breath hitched and she exhaled harshly as her eyes came into focus and zoned in on Anna, a fierce blush gravitating to her entire face.

"Hi," Anna chirped bashfully, her hand still cupping Elsa's cheek.

Seconds ticked by as Elsa registered how close Anna was to her. A myriad of emotions fluctuated upon Elsa's face before fear conquered all others and she exploded into action, flinging herself backwards with such force that the sudden momentum rocked her chair until it was balancing precariously on its two rear legs. Clawing frantically at the desk in an attempt to keep herself anchored, Elsa's icy hands made the surface too slippery to hold on to and she was unable to prevent the chair from tipping over. It fell back with a clatter, a flustered queen still seated upon it, her legs sticking straight up in the air.

"Oh, my gosh!" Anna cried out in horror. She hadn't expected the over the top reaction. "Elsa, I'm so sorry!" She circled around the desk, hurrying to join Elsa's side. "I didn't mean to frighten you, I swear! Are you alright?" She laid a hand on Elsa's arm to assist her up but Elsa jerked away from her.

The fall had freed Elsa's braid from its bun and the loose bundle of hair was now resting across her face. Still on her back, she knocked her hair aside and awkwardly managed to roll onto her knees. "What are you DOING?" she snapped gruffly.

Recoiling at the outburst as if she'd been dealt a painful blow, Anna guiltily stepped away and rubbed her chest. "I… I'm sorry. I just… I wanted to see you and I thought you'd like some company," she said lamely, hanging her head low.

Righting the chair clumsily, Elsa reclaimed her spot, swiping her bangs back peevishly. "Since when were locked doors an invitation?" she groused, folding her arms on the desk and burying her face in them.

Anger flared up within Anna and she countered sharply, "Since when did you start locking them?" Then, in a more subdued tone she said, "I thought we were past this, Elsa."

The hurt in her little sister's voice made Elsa want to smash her own head against the desk and she nearly caved in to the urge. With her face shielded in the protection of her arms, Elsa apologetically muffled, "I'm sorry, Anna…" She heard the sound of clothing rustling and her desk groaning as if a large weight had been placed on it.

"Look at me."

Elsa elevated her head and threw Anna a furtive side glance and found the Princess was now perched on the corner of her desk with her arms crossed over her chest, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. She kept the look brief and rolled her eyes back down.

Anna ceased her nibbling and pressed her lips into a straight line, giving Elsa a death glare. "I said look at me, Elsa," she commanded, her unusually authoritative tone telling Elsa she meant business. The Queen obeyed, raising her eyes again to meet Anna's all too serious ones head on. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Elsa stiffly replied, her answer automatic. "Everything is fine and dandy."

"I can tell," Anna said sarcastically with a snort of displeasure. She drew closer, bending her upper body forward, fixing Elsa with an intense stare, causing Elsa to fidget in her seat and lean away from her, vainly trying to retreat and unable to do so, her escape foiled by the chair's back trapping her in place.

An impenetrable silence descended on them that lasted a ridiculously long time, with both girls unblinkingly staring each other down. Then, finally, Anna broke the deafening quiet by bluntly asking, "Are you pregnant?"

Another long stretch of silence elapsed as Elsa gaped at her little sister dumbly, blinking in sheer astonishment at the question Anna thrust at her. She wanted so badly to laugh her head off because it was just too funny of a concept to even consider, but she knew with how unstable she'd been lately the second she even attempted to let a giggle loose she'd end up blubbering like an idiot instead. "That… What? You think I'm pregnant?" she said incredulously.

"Yes? No? I don't know? You've been a little cold lately, and I don't mean 'Brr, it's chilly' cold," Anna said, fake shivering and rubbing her arms to really make her point clear. "At first I thought your moodiness had to do with you working yourself tirelessly but… the idea of you being pregnant literally popped into my head just now. So… are you?"

"Unless you have magical fingers…" Elsa muttered lowly.

Anna looked at her oddly. "What?"

Oh, god, did she say that out loud? Flushing, Elsa spluttered, "N-no! I'm not pregnant! That's absurd!"

"Okay, then… is it me?" Anna asked timidly. "Have I done something to upset you?" Her hand crawled along the desk slowly and she gently settled it on top of Elsa's. The Queen moved at the first sign of contact and Anna flinched, fully expecting her to deny her, but she was relieved when Elsa flipped her hand over so she could comfortably clasp Anna's.

"No, Anna, you haven't… It's not… you." Elsa sighed and leveled her eyes to the disorganized letters in front of her. "I've had a lot on my mind lately and I'm truly sorry if I've been rude or distant but… I'll be fine," she assured. Eventually, she thought. Hopefully…

Anna followed her gaze and absently scanned the words of one of the letters in her view. Reading it from the side wasn't easy but she was able to make out the gist of the contents and frowned profoundly. "Hm." She slipped her hand away and used it to pet Elsa's head, threading her fingers through silky, platinum bangs and loving how Elsa's eyes drifted closed. The warmth in her chest blossomed as her sister leaned into the touch and Anna swore she heard her purring sweetly.

"I can only imagine what goes on in that little head of yours," Anna said quietly, continuing her caress, though her movements slowed slightly. "Speaking of… what exactly was going on up there?" she said teasingly, lifting an eyebrow suggestively and poking Elsa in the center of her forehead. "You were completely out of it when I walked in here." When Elsa blushed severely and averted her eyes in response Anna squealed and kicked her legs excitedly, thumping them loudly against the desk. "Oh, my… Oh, wow! It must have been spicy!" she gushed, slapping her hands to her own reddening cheeks. "You have to tell me every juicy detail!"

"Stop, Anna."

"Come on, Elsa! Spill it!" Anna bombarded her with questions. "Who were you thinking of, hm? Is he cute? Wait, stupid question, of course he's got to be cute… Ooh, but what does he look like? Is he tall, dark, and handsome? Why is that a thing anyway? I've come across that description way too much in stories… but I digress! I have to know who the lucky son of a bitch is that haunts your dreams!"

You! It's you and only you and it will only ever be you! Elsa wanted to scream out. She could have appeased her sister by making up some false info about the supposed man Anna believed she'd been fantasizing about but she couldn't bring herself to do so. "That's enough, Anna!" Elsa said tersely, stabbing an unsteady finger at the door. "You need to go now."

All the light died from Anna's face and she looked crushed. "Sorry, I… I'm sorry, Elsa... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Sliding off the desk, Anna shuffled to the front of it and stopped, remembering her reason for being there in the first place. She pushed her brownies uncertainly closer to Elsa, the plate scraping noisily on the solid surface of the desk before coming to a quiet rest in front of the Queen. "I… um… made these for you?"

Elsa examined the treats with curious interest. "You made these… for me?"

"Yes! With hardly any help!" Anna said proudly, showing off a huge smile. Her smile gradually diminished and she tapped the tips of her fingers together. "They… uh… I've been told they don't taste too terrible? Though I'm not sure how true that is," she murmured, nudging the toe of her shoe against one of the desk's wooden legs. It would probably be a good idea to try one for myself, she thought and took one, munching on a corner of it experimentally.

Anna chewed and chewed… and chewed. She understood then why it took so long for Baxter to chew his. The brownie's texture was awfully spongy and the size and shape of the mass didn't change no matter how many times her teeth gnashed down on it.

But how was the taste? Anna focused on that sense alone, allowing the flavor of the brownie to soak on her tongue. She blanched and looked as if she were about to up chuck.

The verdict was plain as day, her brownies were absolutely, undeniably terrible! Either Chef Baxter had lied about the edibility of her brownies or his taste buds had significantly worn out to the point where he couldn't tell the difference between whether something tasted good or bad. The Princess's cheeks puffed out in preparation for the ensuing spillage threatening to erupt from her, but she thankfully kept that unpleasantness contained and safely spat out the remnants of the brownie left in her mouth on the lip of the plate.

"Anna?"

"Bleh. I'm fine," Anna groaned and wiped her mouth on her sleeve, tossing her partially eaten brownie back on the stack. It rolled down the pile, landing with a disturbing squish on Elsa's papers. "That was an experience…" There was no way she would subject Elsa to having one of those nasty things! They really were turds in every sense of the word. While Elsa had the amazing power of making ice and snow with her hands, Anna had the ability to make legit shit… "Whatever you do, don't eat one. You'll regret it."

"Let me try one," Elsa said, reaching for one.

"Please, don't!" Anna implored, swatting her sister's hand away and draping her own hands over the mound protectively. "I don't want to kill you! Elsa, don't you dare!" she hissed when Elsa ignored her warning and plucked up the brownie that Anna had sampled from. Anna winced the very second the brown object passed between her sister's lips and Elsa bit into it.

Well, it definitely wasn't gourmet status, Elsa discovered. In fact, it was downright disgusting just like Anna said, but… she didn't care. Elsa heedlessly shoved the entire portion into her mouth and after giving her jaw a tedious workout, she swallowed it torturously down.

Anna's face distorted into a grimace as she watched Elsa devour with great difficulty what should have been a scrumptious treat. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I wanted to do this one simple thing for you and I couldn't even get it right," Anna said sadly. It wasn't just her terrible job at baking that made her feel bad, either. She didn't even remember to bring a drink to wash it down with… "Let me get rid of-"

"Leave them."

"Elsa…"

"You made them for me, and frankly I wouldn't care if you made them out of mud. I want them and I will eat every last one!" Elsa declared, slapping her hand down on the desk.

Anna pictured the Queen dining on mud brownies and laughed. "That's quite an image you've planted in my head…And really, mud?"

Elsa smiled. "I'm dead serious. I'd declare it Arendelle's newest delicacy."

With a light shake of her head, Anna said, "Seriously though, I can't let you have anymore of those revolting things, Elsa. Especially not all of them! I really, really don't want you getting sick… Or fat, even! I mean, to have that figure of yours blowing up? Yeesh! That would be a travesty! You're so insanely drop dead gorgeous! Have I told you that before? Because if not… well, you are!"

Nowhere near as gorgeous as you, Elsa thought. "Thank you, Anna."

Eyes shifting from the brownies to Elsa, Anna was reminded of her idea to bake delicious treats with her. Grinning cheekily, Anna suggested, "So I was thinking you and I should totally DO it together some time."

Elsa had introduced a small piece of the second brownie to her mouth when Anna's unusual choice of words made her gasp so strongly that a crumb got sucked down her throat, lodging itself there and causing an irritating tickling sensation that made her choke and cough simultaneously. She pounded a fist against her chest to help clear it up and she thought she had it under control until…

"Oh jeez, are you choking?! Do I need to give you mouth to mouth?" Anna said with wide-eyed trepidation, looking as if she were about to leap over the desk to do whatever she deemed necessary to aid Elsa in her apparent time of need.

Elsa's coughing fit resumed anew at that. Unable to speak right away, Elsa waved her head from side to side to keep Anna back. She conjured up a cup using her ice powers and filled it with soft snow and quickly thawed the snow so it turned into a liquid. She greedily drank up the water before croaking out an "I'm okay!"

"That's it! You're not eating another bite!" Anna grabbed one end of the plate with the intention to remove her clear failure.

Elsa, still recovering from her coughing spell, latched on to the other side to prevent Anna from taking it away. "No!"

"Elsa, let go of it!"

"I'm not letting it go!"

The two sisters found themselves in a unrelenting tug of war as they both pulled on the plate from opposite ends with all their might, Anna yanking from one side of the desk and Elsa tugging from the other. A mixture of huffing and puffing and grunts and groans filled the room as they struggled over the plate's contents. All the exertion made their hands clammy, and the resulting dampness lessened their grip on the plate's smooth glass edges. Their fingers lost purchase at the exact same time, causing them to stumble back and gawk as the plate flew up in the air and rained brownies on them.

Elsa froze the plate to the ceiling to avoid having it crash down and shatter on them and planned to deal with it later. Brushing the back of her hand over her forehead, she frowned at the mess the scattered brownies presented around her study and then looked up when she heard what sounded like a sniffle. Despite Anna's declaration of how badly her brownies had turned out, Elsa totally expected to see an upset Anna crying over said brownies' current placement but instead found the younger girl snickering and pointing at something above her head.

"Look, you're the almighty Queen of Brownie Turds!" Anna said, falling into a fit of hysterics.

Feeling her head for the source of Anna's amusement, Elsa found that one of the brownies had landed perfectly there. She gave Anna a blank glare before taking her newly acquired crown and lobbing it at Anna, who, despite laughing so hard, skillfully dodged the incoming object with ease.

The redhead's laughter was so infectious that Elsa couldn't help but crack up along with her. The sisters shared a good, long rib busting laugh, and by the time they were done Anna was collapsed against the side of the desk while Elsa sat limply in her chair.

"Whew! I so needed that," Anna gasped out, clutching her stomach.

Elsa agreed. "Me too." It had been a very long while since she had a decent, hearty laugh. If only it could be like this more often, she thought regretfully.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Anna said, wiping the corner of her eyes free of the tears of laughter she shed, "I thought we could spend some time in the kitchen and bake things together one of these days! It doesn't have to be brownies. We'll have loads of fun, I know it! Even if what we make doesn't turn out to be edible."

It sounded like a great idea to Elsa. "I would love to do that with you someday, Anna… just not right now or any time soon, I'm afraid. I have some important things to take care of first that need my undivided attention, but I swear to you once it's all taken care of we can do whatever you want." She wondered how long it would take to find a suitable suitor for herself. Judging by the letters, it would be a long and grueling process.

"Am I not important?" Anna asked innocently, flashing Elsa with sad eyes and pouting her lips.

"Yes, of course you are!" Elsa stated earnestly. "You are more important to me than anything and everything in this world!"

Stunned by such endearing words, Anna's freckled cheeks turned rosy red. "Oh wow, Elsa. You… you really mean that?" she said wonderingly.

Melting under the adoring expression Anna gave her, Elsa answered faintly, "With all my heart."

With her spirits greatly uplifted, Anna pranced to Elsa's side to gift her with a surprise hug from behind. Clasping her hands together over Elsa's sternum and locking her in a strong embrace, Anna rested her chin on Elsa's shoulder and whispered softly, "Ditto."

A peaceful silence floated over them as they basked in each other's love for a good minute. Eventually Anna broke the silence. "So… what kind of important things are taking you away from me?" Anna asked, feigning outrage. Starting a gentle rocking motion with Elsa in her arms, she offered, "Maybe I can help?"

"I have to take care of this myself, Anna." One of Anna's braids dropped over Elsa's shoulder, the bound hairs ticking the side of her face on the way down before settling against her chest, teasing her breast. "A-And as much as I'd like to have you stick around and keep me company…" Elsa said breathlessly and then trailed off distractedly. Catching herself stroking the luscious tress, Elsa moved the hair aside and cleared her throat. "I… need to concentrate on this so… you really should go now." Disengaging Anna's arms encircling her, Elsa twisted her head and snuck a peck on the freckled cheek presented to her before returning her attention back to the suitor letters.

Hot breath swirled and caressed the shell of her ear. "Make me," Anna challenged.

The words were so eerily similar to that spoken from her fantasy Anna… Elsa had to squeeze her eyes closed and will her brain and body to behave, to ignore the temptation Anna was unknowingly dangling before her. "Anna, please…"

"Come and get me, Elsa," Anna said, her voice sultry sweet.

It might have just been a trick of Elsa's mind but she swore there was a distinguishable seductive undertone to Anna's words and an answering heat pervaded her like wildfire, clashing with the delightful wave of excitement that simultaneously delivered a full body shiver. Any moisture remaining in her mouth packed its bags and headed south and her breathing increased, coming out of flaring nostrils in heavy bursts.

This… was… bad…

Using agile speed she didn't know she was capable of, Elsa spun around and lunged so quickly at her sister that Anna squeaked out an "Eep!" and was unable to dodge or escape before Elsa clamped her bicep in a tremulous vice grip and hauled her towards the door.

Anna tried digging her heels into the floor but they skidded uselessly upon a path of ice that had formed underneath her, aiding Elsa in dragging her across the study's length with ease.

"Hey-!"

"Thank you for the brownies you made for me."

"Now hold on a sec-!"

"I appreciate you very much."

"But-!"

"I love you."

"I-!"

"I'll see you later," Elsa said tightly, opening the study door and practically shoving Anna out.

"Elsa, wait!" Anna stumbled to a halt and whipped around but the door banged closed and the presence of snow and ice particles escaping from the lower crack informed her that Elsa had frozen it shut.

Elsa had shut her out…

Dumbfounded, Anna wondered what happened to cause such a reaction from Elsa. Everything had seemed to be going smoothly, so where did she go wrong? Was it something she said or did? Feeling deflated and breathing shallowly from the sudden pain that pinched her heart, Anna turned away, cursing herself for failing miserably at her mission.

She needed a plan B…


	19. Plan B

After getting unceremoniously kicked out of Elsa's study, Anna meandered through the castle halls for a good half an hour, replaying the study scene in her head continuously in an attempt to unravel the growing mystery behind Elsa's erratic mood swings.

It would have made a lot of sense if Anna's horrible brownies were the reason for the newest display. The disgusting taste would have put anyone in a sour mood, no doubt. But Elsa's shift in mood couldn't have stemmed from the brownies because, despite how bad the treats were, Elsa didn't seem too bothered by them and had even happily insisted on continuing to eat them, which was something only a wonderful but decidedly crazy older sister would willingly volunteer to do.

No, it couldn't have been the brownies that caused it, so then what did it? What broke their glorious but terribly short-lived bonding moment so abruptly?

Anna realized the whole thing tumbled downhill after she had offered to help Elsa with whatever documents she was busy with. But why would that of all things set her off? Did Elsa think she was… useless? Did Elsa think she was incapable of providing her with help concerning important royal responsibilities?

A painful pulsing ache developed within her cranium and she started feeling lightheaded from all the thinking she was doing and the unhelpful and less than pleasant results that came from it. The sudden desire for fresh air carried the Princess outside the castle and into the royal garden where she was flooded with strong, flowery scents. Anna plugged her nose as she passed particularly smelly areas and gravitated towards the biggest landmark in the garden- a lone, prominent tree. She propped herself up against it and absentmindedly brushed her fingers along the rough bark, finding herself oddly comforted by the massive plant for whatever reason. There was something special about the tree, she sensed it… but what that special something was evaded her and it irked her.

What is going on? Anna thought, twisting around to face the tree, resting her forehead upon its bumpy exterior. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something important, something crucial? She despised this awful feeling of not knowing anything, it was driving her insane!

Anna pushed away from the tree and circled it like an observant vulture, hoping to uncover some hidden answers tucked away at its base. Coming up empty-handed on the ground level, she deftly climbed the tree to see if there was anything high up that would perhaps jog her memory.

There was nothing but wood and leaves and now a troubled little princess perched in the tree…

With a harrumph, Anna crossed her arms and hooked the back of her knees onto the sturdy branch she was sitting on, falling backwards, allowing her upper body to swing down so she was presented with an upside down view of the garden.

Olaf was making his rounds and tending to his floral babies when he spotted the Princess hanging from the tree limb, doing a pretty good impersonation of a bat. He approached her, popping his head off and flipping it around so he could communicate with her on the same level. "Hello, Anna!"

"Hi, Olaf," she greeted unenthusiastically.

"Hey…" Olaf's smile wavered upon hearing Anna's unusually less than cheery response. "What's the matter?"

"It's Elsa," Anna said, and then proceeded to inform Olaf about her latest predicament. "One second we're laughing and having a grand old time, and then the next thing I know she's hurling me out of the room faster than I can say flangendorfers!" Still dangling precariously from the branch, Anna daringly rocked her body, lightly swinging back and forth. "And I-Whooaa!" Misjudging the pace and force behind her rocking, Anna ended up slipping and falling to the ground, landing on her back with an ungraceful thud.

Olaf adjusted his head so it was once again fitted properly on his body and peered down at her. "Are you okay? That looked like it hurt… a lot. Did it?"

Wincing, Anna sat up and rubbed her head. "No, Olaf, it tickled," she replied dryly.

"But you're not laughing," he pointed out unnecessarily.

Anna ignored him and slammed her hands against the ground. Disgruntled, she continued her explanation where she left off, "I don't know what to do about Elsa, Olaf! She's been very unhappy lately and I can't stand it anymore! I tried making her brownies because I was positive that would make her happy…" Her shoulders slumped and she bowed her head. "But that didn't work out too well…" If only she had bothered listening to Chef Baxter! The brownies could have been a major success! But no, she had to be stubborn and stupid and incompetent…

"Brownies! That sounds yummy!" Olaf shouted joyfully, hopping from foot to foot. "I wanna try one! Are there anymore left?"

"No! And trust me, Olaf, you wouldn't want to try one. They were bad! Like really, really bad! I almost killed Elsa because of them…"

"That's unfortunate." Olaf plopped down beside her and kicked his snowball legs up. "So Elsa's not acting like herself, huh? It sounds to me like she needs a few doses of nice, soft and comfy, warm, loving hugs!" he said brightly.

Undoing her braids, Anna said sullenly, "I tried that." She found the lock of her recently reacquired white hair and examined it closely.

"You did? And it didn't work?" the snowman probed, clearly not accustomed to hugs failing in bringing happiness.

"We wouldn't be talking about this right now if it did, would we?" Anna mildly retorted with an upward jerk of her shoulders, flipping her hair back.

Olaf considered that. "I suppose not…" He tweaked his carrot nose thoughtfully. "Hm. Maybe you weren't doing it right. Maybe it wasn't warm enough?" he suggested. "Did you put enough oomph into it?"

Anna picked at the dirt and unearthed a pebble. She bounced the tiny rock in her hand and then lobbed it across the garden. "Maybe I'm just not good enough…" she mumbled.

"Hey! Don't say that!" Olaf scooted closer to her and rubbed his stick hand against her back. "You're more than good enough for Elsa! You're perfect for each other!" Anna just sighed sadly. He tapped her firmly on the head. "Come on, Anna! Don't forget about the letter!"

Raising her head, Anna gave him a side long glance. "Letter?"

"Yeah!" When Anna frowned blankly at him, he furrowed his eyebrows. "You know, the love letter?" he hinted, giving her a knowing look. Olaf was pretty ignorant to the specific details that were in the letter Anna had made him personally deliver to Elsa a week ago, but he was certain it contained nothing but good, positive things! Though the following day he found his garden had become a snowy wonderland and he wasn't sure what to make of that…

Oblivious to what love letter Olaf was referring to, Anna assumed he was talking about the suitor letters she had caught Elsa looking at. Although technically she didn't catch Elsa looking at anything since the Queen had her attention elsewhere when Anna broke into the study, the evidence splayed messily on her desk basically cemented the fact that Elsa had been perusing through them before hand.

"The letters… of course." How could she be so blind and not to put two and two together? Anna could definitely see how taxing, stressful and annoying it would be reading what likely amounted to meaningless garbage from strange men who were only interested in Elsa because of her queen status and magical powers... Anna sympathized with her sister, but what she couldn't comprehend- provided the letters really were the reason for Elsa's moodiness- was why Elsa was focusing so intently on the them to begin with. Surely she wasn't thinking about finding a suitor already…? It had barely been more than a year since the coronation and their reunion. Elsa deserved to relax and not have to worry about such matters for at least a few more years. Unless…

Was Elsa being pressured into it? Thinking about Elsa being forced into something she wasn't ready for put Anna on edge and she scowled and fumed silently. If that was the case, Anna would not stand for it! When the time came for some repulsive man to sweep her sister away from her she wanted it to be someone Elsa would at least be happy with, not someone she was marrying out of duty…

Grabbing a nearby twig, unintentionally robbing Olaf of his arm, Anna stabbed the end into the dirt repeatedly and groused, "I wouldn't expect her to be cheery about that." The twig flexed and wriggled in her grasp and she gasped and flung it away from her reflexively, realizing too late what it was and what she'd done. "Shoot. Sorry, Olaf…"

Olaf fetched his arm and bounded back over to her, laughing as he reinserted it in place, unbothered by the dismemberment. "It's okay, Anna." He reclaimed his position under the tree beside the Princess. "So why wouldn't Elsa be happy about the letter?" he asked curiously. "It was a love letter, right? That's a good thing!"

"Olaf, it's a terrible thing!" Anna proclaimed furiously.

"Terrible?"

"Yes! Terrible! She's clearly being pushed to take some worthless jerk as her partner! That's definitely not a good thing!"

Olaf protested, "But you're not a jerk!"

Anna stared at him, baffled. "What?"

"You're not a jerk," Olaf repeated insistently. "You're considerate and lovable and cuddlable-"

Why was he randomly spouting out attributes that pertained to her? "This has nothing to do with me, Olaf!"

The snowman tilted his head. "It doesn't? But I thought… Wait a second, are we talking about the same thing here? Because I'm confused…"

"What are YOU talking about?" Anna demanded, growing increasingly frustrated with the direction their conversation had taken.

"I'm talking about your lo-"

"You know what?" Anna interrupted him impatiently, clapping her hands over his mouth to silence him. "Never mind! It doesn't matter. Let's train our attention on the issue at hand, okay? Elsa is stressed out and I need to get her to relax, end of story. So help me think of something…"

Banning Elsa indefinitely from doing any work would do wonders to relieve her of stress, but it was highly improbable for someone who held position as queen…. Anna needed to think of something more realistic, so she considered what she did on the occasions she felt a little down. Talking to Joan was always relaxing for her… maybe Elsa needed a Joan of her own? Then again, Anna didn't think Elsa would be the type to chat thoughtlessly to a painting…

Other go to stress relieving comforts of Anna's was shoveling food into her face or hugging a favorite stuffed animal. Since she likely ruined Elsa's appetite with her baking catastrophe, she ruled eating out and concentrated on the latter idea. Except instead of Elsa resorting to hugging lifeless stuffed animals, Anna had a marvelous idea strike her.

Snapping her fingers and shouting, "Ah ha!" Anna launched to her feet, unable to contain her rejuvenated excitement. "I know exactly what Elsa needs! She needs a furry companion! Something she can pet and cuddle, something that will bring her joy and won't unnecessarily annoy her!"

Olaf perked up at the suggestion. "Oh! That's a brilliant idea!"

Anna beamed ecstatically, proud to have come up with such a fabulous idea until it occurred to her… "Shit." Was Elsa a cat or dog person? Or what if she didn't like mammals and preferred feathery creatures? Or fish… or plants? Could plants even be considered pets? Anna cursed again and pinched the ridge of her nose. "I don't know what to get her." They never discussed such an important topic before. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin everything by getting Elsa something she disliked or was possibly allergic to.

Olaf thumped a twiggy hand on Anna's knee and jumped up. "Don't worry, Anna! I know exactly what to get Elsa!"

"You do?" Anna said hopefully, sitting perfectly straight up. "Really?"

"Yep! Leave it to me, Anna! We'll have Elsa back to normal in a jiffy!" he shouted, waving and waddling merrily away.

The Princess was admittedly apprehensive about leaving the simpleminded snowman in charge of such an important task… She knew he meant well but she had a sinking feeling that whatever he had in mind was not going to be what she expected. All she could do was wait and find out…

The suspense was killing her.

* * *

The Queen sat hunched at her desk, riddled immensely with guilt.

Pushing Anna away was difficult for her, but if she hadn't done so there was no question she would have lost the sliver of control she had left and ravaged her delectable little sister right then and there, throwing every precaution she had taken away in one fell swoop. All because of Anna's misinterpreted actions and words, which sounded a lot to Elsa's overreacting ears like her sister was practically begging for it…

But what if she hadn't misinterpreted anything? Elsa flicked a finger against a raised corner of a letter and recalled Pabbie's words. The troll had said there was a possibility of Anna's memories and feelings returning… Could Anna be regaining her memories so soon? The thought scared her and relieved her at the same time.

If it was true, she definitely needed to step her search up. Elsa dove back into the mess on her desk, redoubling her efforts to find a suitor for herself as soon as possible, refusing to stop until she found one that sounded at least somewhat likable. There had to be one in existence, right? She scoured the letters, ignoring the exhaustion and hunger that snuck up on her and the strain the uninterrupted reading put on her eyes…

Only when a forgotten, previously frozen-to-the-ceiling plate crashed down on top of her head with a clank, bouncing off and landing surprisingly intact on her desk, did the weary Queen concede defeat for the day. Bones cracked and popped as she stretched her aching back and limbs before she sloppily collected the letters and carelessly shoved them into a drawer. She wanted nothing more than to file the papers in the trash bin where they rightfully belonged.

Abandoned brownies squished underfoot as she rose from her seat and left her study. She waved down a passing maid to have the room cleaned and then walked at a slow pace to her bedroom, stifling a yawn behind her hand. Tired as she was, she knew she wouldn't get much sleep. Elsa didn't think she'd ever experience the peaceful luxury of a restless night every again. Definitely not for a very long time, at least…

Approaching her room, Elsa briefly toyed with the idea of dabbling in drinking before retiring to bed each night. She personally wasn't a fan of alcohol in general but it might be the reprieve she needed to take her mind off-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The reverberating, blood-curdling shriek halted Elsa in her tracks, eyes bulging wide in alarm. "Anna!" she gasped shrilly and whirled around, flying the distance across the hallway to Anna's room. A closed door blocked her way and Elsa fumbled with the doorknob, but frost emanating off her hands made them slip and slide uselessly on the handle, making it impossible to open. She desperately tried to get a firm grasp on it when another scream coming from behind the door made her jump and more ice sprouted forth from her hands, swiftly devouring the entire door.

Cursing her hands, Elsa stepped back from the door, tremors of panic rising within her. There was no time. Anna was in trouble and she needed to get to her! She blasted the door open using her powers, sending splinters of wood and ice careening everywhere and hurriedly followed the wreckage inside. Frantically, she searched the room's interior for her sister and a wave of dread coursed through her when she saw no sign of her.

Fearful blue eyes fell upon another closed door- Anna's private bathroom- and Elsa dashed over to it quickly, smashing it open with a swift, adrenaline-powered kick. "Anna!" she cried, bursting inside. "Anna, wha-" Her jaw dropped and her heart seized violently in her chest as a deep shade of scarlet ascended upon her face. "Oh, fuck me," she managed to utter in a choked whisper before the air was thoroughly knocked out of her when a stark naked and dripping wet Anna hurled her glistening body into her.

There was a spectacular explosion of stars and then Elsa's vision went pitch black as her eyelids shuttered closed, eclipsing her visual organs without her even being aware of it.

I'm dead, Elsa thought dazedly, truly believing she had died. Goodbye cruel world…

"Elsa! Oh, thank goodness!" Anna hugged her sister bodily, burrowing her face against Elsa's plush bosom and proceeding to blather effusively about something.

What exactly Anna was babbling about, Elsa wasn't sure. She found it impossible to pay attention to anything when she was perfectly attuned to the slick body that was rubbing against her so tantalizingly. Her hands were suspended awkwardly behind Anna, positioned as if to touch and return the hug she was being given but not daring to do so.

Prominently flushed against Elsa, Anna looked up at her unresponsive and stiff sister quizzically and saw the funny look she received in exchange. "Elsa?"

The Queen's eyes were shrouded with desire as they flicked down to Anna's plump lips. Her own lips tingled with anticipation and she swiped her wet tongue over them in preparation of meeting her sister's, her head lowering and drifting closer….

No, no, no! Bad! Catching herself just in time, Elsa pulled back sharply and mentally scolded herself, shooting her eyes away from the succulent temptation in front of her. "A-Anna," she barely wheezed out, "what happened? Why did you scream?" As far as she could tell, Anna was perfectly fine… More than perfectly fine, in fact.

"There's a rat!" Anna revealed, jumping up and down and shaking Elsa so the older woman wobbled unsteadily on her feet. "A big, hairy, hideous rat!"

"A… rat?" Elsa repeated dubiously.

Anna nodded an affirmative and cocked her head at the tub. Elsa tried moving towards the tub to go investigate but the Princess was weighing her down heavily. She needed to somehow peel the younger girl off of her but her hands refused to cooperate and remained floating uselessly in the air. Risking a glance at Anna, who she caught adorably worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Elsa cleared her throat and tentatively said, "Would you…? Could you…?" She made a pushing motion to convey what she was trying to say and it was apparently enough to get the message across. Anna formed an 'O' with her mouth and complied, withdrawing from her.

With her sister's distracting body vacated from the vicinity of her personal space, Elsa was able to breathe again. Her eyes vivaciously trailed up and down Anna's body of their own free will, drinking in her slender, exquisite, mouth-watering, gorgeously freckled womanly figure before she yanked them up to the safety of the ceiling. Sucking in a few haggard breaths, she fixated on the tub and cautiously tiptoed closer, fully expecting a monstrosity of a beast to lunge out at her.

What she found instead was a teeny, tiny mouse frantically paddling along the water's edge, paws clawing and slipping uselessly on the sides of the smooth porcelain as the furry critter tried to get out, emitting pitiful, squeaky cries of distress. Elsa was so distracted by the unexpected, unthreatening sight that she didn't notice Anna had sneakily sidled up next to her until the redhead spoke.

"I was minding my own business when it came out of nowhere and leaped at me!" Anna revealed, gesticulating animatedly. "Seriously, it launched at me, snapping its long, gnarling teeth and snarling and- Oh…" The Princess did a double take, squinting into the tub looking flabbergasted. "Wait a minute," she said, slowly dragging out the first word in the sentence as she watched the poor animal struggling with all its might to escape the death trap it had fallen into. She pointed an accusing finger at the mouse. "I swear it was way bigger than that! And a hell of a lot uglier…"

"How did a mouse get in here?" Elsa mused out loud, steadfastly ignoring Anna's too close proximity and remaining entirely focused on the creature doing laps in the bath water.

Combing fingers through her flowing coppery locks, Anna laughed nervously. "Um… heh." Wringing her hands together, she said vaguely, "I guess that would be sort of kind of but not really my fault?" When Elsa shot her a questioning look she quickly spilled everything. "Ugh! Okay! It was supposed to be a surprise for you! See, since you've been so touchy lately I thought… I mean, I figured you could use a furry friend. Something that would keep you company and that can fit in your lap so while you're working you can stroke it and maybe it would take some of the stress off your shoulders and provide you with a degree of happiness since I'm failing miserably in that department-"

Elsa visibly flinched at that and started to protest but Anna forged on without a pause.

"-but I was thinking of something more along the lines of a dog or cat, you know? Something normal?" Anna scrunched her nose distastefully and motioned weakly to the rodent. "Not a rat."

"Mouse," Elsa corrected softly, tenderly gazing at the fretting girl and marveling at how effortlessly she pulled off being so stubbornly thoughtful and caring and just plain perfect.

"Whatever. Anyway, this was Olaf's doing. His grand idea. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him. I should have went with my instincts…" Anna fussed, sighing in defeat and tracing the tip of her big toe along the indents of the tiled floor.

Touching her lips to a forehead creased with wrinkles and wanting to remove them, Elsa said calmingly, "I don't care about the mouse and how it got here. I'm just relieved you're not in any serious trouble. You frightened me terribly with that scream of yours…"

Smiling sheepishly, Anna ducked her head and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry about that."

Returning her attention to the trapped mouse, Elsa's powers surged and gathered at the tips of her fingers as she raised her hands up. Just as she was about to let her powers flow, Anna jostled the arm she was glued to and shoved her face close to Elsa's.

"You're not going to kill it, are you?" Anna pleaded, her bright turquoise eyes wide and pleading, pouting lips trembling.

"No, I'm not going to kill it," Elsa promised, her voice strained and hoarse.

Satisfied with her answer, Anna relaxed her grip and Elsa resumed what she was in the process of doing, carefully constructing two halves of an icy sphere into thin air and applying a series of breathing holes on both sides. Scooping the drenched mouse up in one half, she combined the two separate parts together and sealed it, successfully capturing the harmless animal inside so it could be disposed of properly. "There," she said, smiling, holding the ball up in one hand for Anna to see.

"You're the best, Elsa!" Anna gushed thankfully, embracing Elsa, nearly jarring the ball loose from her hand. "I love you!"

Oh, jeez. Elsa bit down hard on her tongue as the swell of bare breasts crushed against her. That combined with the heat of Anna's breath dancing upon her neck caused the blood to roar in her veins and her head to spin dizzily. "Ah-Anna," she said huskily, meaning to warn her sister, but any words she would have said stayed lodged in her throat.

Enjoying her closeness with Elsa, Anna was lulled into a peaceful state and she sighed pleasantly, tipping her head to nose a reddening cheek lovingly. Inhaling deeply, she slid her arms up and over the Queen's shoulders, linking her hands together behind Elsa's neck.

God, she smells incredible, Anna thought dreamily, melting further into her sister. "Mm, Elsa," Anna crooned, dusting her lips along the column of Elsa's throat.

Stop! Please, stop! Elsa silently begged, holding back a whimper, unable to endure the sweet torture for very much longer. Every muscle in her body was quivering with restraint, the overwhelming urge to take control and curve her arm around Anna's waist and to feel her arching wantonly into her as she claimed her neck passionately was becoming unbearable.

Parting her lips, Anna's tongue darted out, tasting her sister's skin and the beads of sweat that had surfaced from her pores. The Princess wasn't sure what possessed her to do that to Elsa. All she knew was it felt natural and too right, and her heart hummed in agreement and that alone meant she had no reason to question it. Purring contently, she delicately nibbled Elsa's exceedingly throbbing pulse point.

The strength in the Queen's legs grew weaker and her breath faltered, threatening to cease altogether. The risk of her fainting was imminent. Get it together, she screamed at herself internally. Control it! Her knees buckled and she felt herself going down, slowly sinking lower and lower…

In an effort to stay afloat and not drop to an embarrassing heap on the floor, Elsa bent her leg and shifted her weight slightly. Her knee poked through the slit of her dress and drew upwards, nudging into a tangle of damp curls and a fleshy, impossibly warm center…

"Mmph," Anna grunted and gasped, tightening her grip around Elsa's neck.

Elsa made a strangled noise when she realized what she made contact with and her free hand automatically flew to Anna's waist to push her away. The exact opposite of what she intended to do occurred when the icy chill of her hand caused Anna to shriek and buck forward sharply against the hardness of her knee.

"Oh," Anna whined, hissing out a stream of air. Shivering from a mixture of the cold and the brief ripple of pleasure that sparked her core, the younger girl said, "Elsa, y-your hands are so cold." Looking down at herself, it suddenly clicked that she wasn't wearing any clothes. "Ah…Oh, dear! It doesn't help that I'm naked and sopping wet," she giggled, and despite the astute observation of her serious lack of clothing, she made no move to distance herself from Elsa right away.

Rub it in why don't you! Elsa thought, grinding her teeth together.

Remembering why she was naked in the first place, Anna said, "Um, I never finished my bath and I don't feel comfortable using the tub until it's scrubbed vigorously from top to bottom. For all I know the mouse might be carrying the bubonic plague or something… Can I use yours?"

"YES!" Elsa shouted, startling Anna, who gawked at her openmouthed. Composing herself, she repeated more subdued, "I mean, yes, of course."

Anna didn't budge an inch, probing eyes intently narrowed at her. "Elsa, are you feeling well?" She touched her hand to her sister's cheek, and just like earlier in the study, found that her skin was ridiculously searing hot. Elsa's breath was also coming out in short, quick pants and the vibrating tremors coming off of her was building in intensity. Following a sweat drop that crawled down her sister's temple, dripping onto her collarbone and traveling south, Anna dabbed at it with her finger before it could disappear into the shadow of her cleavage and heard Elsa shudder at the touch. Concerned, Anna recommended, "You should really see a doctor. You're really flushed and-"

"Yes! Fine! Just- I will! I'll do that right away!" Elsa said quickly to appease her. Spotting a light green robe hanging by a hook on the wall- why hadn't she seen that before?- she wormed her way out of Anna's clutches and bolted for the item, snatching it up and flinging it at Anna. Once Anna donned her robe and all of her bits were covered up, Elsa gathered up the neatly folded clothes on the counter that were to be worn after Anna's bath was completed and dumped them into her arms hastily. Herding her towards the exit, she urged, "Go finish your bath! I'll take care of this"- she hefted the ice sphere- "that and everything else! Just… Bath. You. Now!"

"Okay! Alright! Sheesh. Bath. Me. Going!" Anna called with a laugh, confused but also amused by her sister's antics. She departed from the bathroom with clothes in hand. A mere few seconds later, a surprised exclamation came from the connecting room. "Holy crap, Elsa! You totally creamed my door!"

Huffing, Elsa hollered back, "I'm aware, thanks! I'll take care of it!" She waited and listened for a response or any sound to indicate Anna was still around but was met with a numbing silence.

Finally alone and free from danger, Elsa thanked her poor legs for not quitting on her and gave them a much needed break, sitting down on the floor in the middle of the bathroom. With the mouse as her sole companion, she spent the next couple of minutes watching it squeak and run crazily in an endless circle, feet pitter-pattering noisily on the ice that caged it.

Funny, Elsa thought humorlessly, that's exactly how I feel.

The silence that filled the room was broken when a snowman joyfully bounced into the room, squealing, "Elroy! You found him! I've been looking everywhere for that feisty little bugger! You know he tried to bite my nose?" He chuckled and smiled at Elsa, but the smile he displayed wilted away as Elsa gave the snowman a menacing death glare.

Rising to her feet, towering over her creation, she forcefully threw the sphere at him. "Take this thing and remove it from the premises immediately. Don't you ever bring filthy vermin of any sort inside these walls again," she reproached harshly. "If I catch you pulling a stunt like this in the future, you will find yourself nothing more than a puddle of water on the floor. Do I make myself clear?"

Gulping, Olaf cowered in fear and stammered out meekly, "I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't realize… I thought… It won't happen again…" Lowering his head, he turned away and shuffled off morosely.

Look at what you've done, she mentally berated herself. First Anna and now Olaf… She was taking her frustration and anger out on innocents and making them miserable when she was to blame for the whole mess. She felt like the biggest piece of shit in the world.

"Olaf, wait!" Elsa cried. Olaf hesitantly poked his head through the doorway and she beckoned him over. "Come here." Kneeling, she opened her arms, and after setting the ice ball on the floor, Olaf went to her and they shared a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," she apologized.

"It's okay, Elsa!" the snowman said forgivingly. "Sometimes people say things they don't really mean when they are upset. I've heard you're having a rough time."

Elsa agreed tiredly. "Something like that…"

"What is it? What's making you so unhappy? Does it have anything to do with Anna's letter?" Elsa snapped her eyes sharply at him and he offered an uneasy smile, holding up his hands defensively. "I thought for sure it would make you happy… Did it not please you?" The thought that Elsa might not have appreciated Anna's letter depressed the snowman.

"Olaf, take the rat-"

"Mouse," Olaf interjected.

"-out of here and don't bring the letter or anything pertaining to it up again, got it? Especially not around Anna."

"Why not? She loves you and you love her… don't you? Of course, you do… I know you do! It's true love!" he argued. Olaf understood what such a strong bond was capable of since he had witnessed it in action. Why was Elsa fighting and rejecting something that was undeniable?

Elsa squared her shoulders and turned her back on him, moving to the tub and sitting on the edge. She dipped her hand into the water and unplugged the stopper to drain it. As the water level decreased, swishing and swirling down the drain, she begged, "Please, Olaf. Just do as I say."

"Oh… Okay?" Olaf didn't like it, but he decided not to push it and upset his creator further so he dropped it. He grabbed for the ball and noticed it was not where he placed it originally. Spinning around, he caught sight of the sphere rolling away, disappearing out the door. "Elroy!" he gasped, chasing after it.

Heaving a sigh, Elsa perched one leg on the tub and wrapped her arms around it, leaning her forehead against her knee. She was certain Anna had no clue what she was doing to her and she needed to keep it that way, but each encounter she had with Anna lately was getting more dangerous than the previous one, and it was only a matter of time before she broke and destroyed everything…

Destroy what? My misery? Elsa laughed bitterly at that thought. But she couldn't help but wonder dimly, would that really be so bad? In regards to Anna's continued safety, the answer was irrefutably yes.

Retiring to her room for the night was out of the question with Anna currently using her bathroom. That was fine with Elsa. She was wide awake and terribly worked up after her near death experience anyway… Evacuating Anna's bathroom and seeing the remnants of what once used to be a door scattered along the floor, she decided it was best to let Anna spend the night in her room… without Elsa being there, of course.

Finding a blank piece of paper and a tool to write with, Elsa scribbled a quick note to let the Princess know about the sleeping arrangement. She could have constructed a temporary door made out of ice if she wanted to, but even if she did that there was still the mess to clean up and it was much too late to bother a servant to have it tidied.

Elsa covertly slipped into her own room to plant the note she wrote in an easy to spot location so Anna would find it when she was done with her bath. As she shut the door behind her on her departure, she heard Anna's sweet voice singing. Wanting nothing more than to listen and enjoy the beautiful, melodic sound that caressed her eardrums, Elsa forced herself to tune it out instead. She knew if she paused for even a second she wouldn't want to leave…

Having nowhere else to go, Elsa returned to her gloomy study to continue her tiresome search for a suitor.


	20. Hot and Cold

**AN: Wow! So the one year anniversary is coming up for this story! I can't believe it's been that long already. o.o Yeesh, I really need to get my butt moving... For those of you who've stuck around all this time, thank you so freaking much! I know this is nowhere near that great of a fic so the fact that you guys are giving me the time of day just warms my heart. *hugs* You're all awesome! I especially want to thank my regular reviewers. You don't know how insanely happy I get when I see your names pop up! Extra warm hugs for you!**

**I noticed lately there seems to be an influx of stories being abandoned by authors for whatever reason, and I just want to reassure you guys that such a thing will never happen with mine. Aside from one story that's currently on hiatus (CE), I fully intend to complete them, even if my updates aren't as often as I'd like them to be... Speaking of, I apologize for the month long wait for this chapter.**

**Anyway! After this chapter things will sort of be moving along. There's still a bumpy ride ahead, unfortunately. I also would like to address the lovely guest with concerns about a third party being involved and getting in the way of Elsa and Anna's relationship. Rest your little Elsanna heart. I've already caused enough suffering for our girls (and it's not done yet, sadly. :/) but I wouldn't do that to them or to you guys.**

**Thanks for being patient and hope you guys are at least entertained by this mess I'm dishing out. As much as I'd like to have the next chapter released on the anniversary, it's not likely to happen. But I'll try to get it out sooner than a month!**

The days following the mouse-scapade, Anna noticed Elsa acting super awkward whenever they were together. The Queen would stumble over her words like a bumbling fool even if they were discussing mundane things such as the weather, and a bright blush would plant itself prominently on her usually pale complexion every time she cast a lingering glance the Princess's way. While Anna would gladly take an awkward Elsa over the previous distant Elsa, she knew the stammering and added color, though admittedly cute as hell, was an obvious sign of discomfort.

Considering Anna had unintentionally groped and climbed all up on Elsa buck naked, that was really no surprise…

The last thing Anna wanted was for Elsa to be uncomfortable around her. More than anything Anna yearned for the sweet and easy sisterly connection they seemed to have misplaced to return again. She wanted Elsa to laugh and smile with her for longer than a few measly seconds, and she wanted Elsa to look at her again without having to be embarrassed by the horrifying images of her naked little sister's body molesting her and... licking her like a dog.

Anna still wasn't sure what that had been about…

With the way things were going, the likelihood of what they once had ever coming to fruition again just seemed woefully out of reach. But the resilient redhead refused to give up. Giving up wasn't in her vocabulary, nor was it an option where Elsa was concerned. The Princess would uphold her royal duty as the ever caring, loving little sister and right any wrongs she may have committed, starting with an apology for her latest disaster… and she had just the thing to help set her on the right path.

Anna went to her room, now equipped with a brand spanking new door since Elsa had blasted her old one to smithereens, and headed towards her closet, where she rummaged through the cluttered bottom for an ancient looking, crudely decorated box that contained a bunch of old drawings.

During the period the sisters were kept apart as children, Anna spent a lot of her time drawing when she wasn't being a reckless little monster or taking boring princess lessons. Occasionally she slipped a few of her doodles under Elsa's door, hoping they would lure her out of her room, and when that didn't work she stockpiled them for future use. After they were reunited, Anna had planned to give all the drawings she saved to her sister as a special present for her birthday later in the year, but her current predicament was too urgent for her to wait that long. She would present them to Elsa now and hope they work in her favor.

Even if they failed her, at least there was no way they could further damage her currently frustrating, volatile and fragile relationship with her sister… right? They were innocent and safe, at least. What could possibly go wrong?

Crawling on her hands and knees, searching for the box she was certain was hidden around somewhere, Anna muttered unhappily about the chaotic state of her closet. It was such a disorganized mess that no maid dared to enter its treacherous depths to even make an attempt to clean it. Tossing things aside, Anna found her way to the far back and caught sight of the box she was looking for tucked away behind stacks of rolled up carpets that were leaning against one corner. Anna grunted as she tried to pull the box free. It was jammed in pretty tightly but she managed to tug it loose, and once it was in her hands she smiled triumphantly and turned to leave. Her elbow jarred one carpet from its resting position and it toppled forward, landing on top of the Princess, along with the seven other bundles that were stashed behind it.

"Oof!" Anna flailed wildly as she attempted to escape the heavy mass that pinned her down, trapping her in place. She pushed and heaved and wiggled her way out, panting heavily by the time she wrestled out of the mess. "What the hell?" she grumbled, massaging her back and glaring at the carpets. Who put those things in HER closet? she wondered, extremely annoyed.

One of the carpets unrolled itself during Anna's struggle, revealing variously sized shard fragments that she vaguely remembered used to resemble a beautifully designed vase…

Ooh, right. She was the culprit that put them there… Oops! Quickly rolling it back up, Anna shoved all eight carpets back to their previous spot and made a mental note to have them disposed of as soon as everything was fixed between her and Elsa. First thing first… she had to give her gift to Elsa.

Anna scooted out of the closet and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of it, setting the box on her lap and lifting the lid to view the old drawings for herself. It had been ages since she last looked at them and she was curious about how good her artistic skills were back then.

Picking up the first one, Anna cocked her head at the image drawn on the paper and flipped it around, checking it out from every possible angle, unsure of which direction she was supposed to look at it. No matter how hard she studied it, Anna couldn't decipher what the hell it was supposed to be… It kind of resembled a flower… maybe? It had an array of round things in a messy half circle that could have passed as petals… Or maybe it was a butterfly? Thinking that particular drawing was a really special case, Anna set it aside and moved on to the next one.

The next one she looked at stumped her just as much as the first. This one had three conjoined blobs, and if she squinted really hard it kind of sort of looked like a deranged, disfigured snowman… with large, sharp pointy teeth?

Each picture Anna looked at made her second guess giving them to her sister. The fact that she, the maker, couldn't tell what the images were supposed to represent was proof of how bad they were. It didn't matter that she had made them as a child… they were beyond terrible and deserved to be trashed.

Anna replaced the lid on the box, but after a short pause she removed it again. What did she have to lose at this point? She already bared everything to her sister… literally. If anything, she was sure the drawings would bring an amused smile to Elsa's lips, and that was the least she could hope for.

She browsed through the rest of her childish doodles, hoping to find something resembling a masterpiece. Maybe all of the remotely decent ones were at the bottom, she thought, digging deeper into the box. Her fingers touched something hard and thick and entirely unexpected buried underneath all the papers. She pinched it between her fingers and pulled it out.

The mysterious item was a small, light green velvet covered book. "Where did this come from?" she wondered out loud, skimming her fingertips along the cover's fuzziness. She didn't recognize the object, but at the same time she vaguely did, which of course made no sense to her. Then again, nothing made much sense to her lately...

Anna moved the box off her lap and leaned her elbows comfortably on her knees as she opened the book to a random page. She assessed the words published inside to give her a clue on what the book was and why she had it in her possession. Assuming it was an abandoned journal she started a long time ago, Anna was expecting rambling, childish nonsense, but instead she was pleasantly surprised to find the page's contents contained a fun little story featuring her and Elsa doing sisterly things with each other.

Oh, this is so cute! Anna thought, grinning like an insane maniac, wonderfully entertained by her amazing discovery. How could she have written something so adorable and forgotten all about it? It was so well done and such a delight to read and it was everything she could have hoped for! Her cringe-worthy drawings would likely fail to accomplish much of anything but the stories she uncovered within the secret book would undoubtedly succeed in that department. She definitely had to show Elsa this right away!

With the book balanced in her lap, Anna gave herself a hearty squeeze out of sheer joy as she continued to read. Then all at once her features significantly shifted. Her smile faltered and her eyes enlarged. Her mouth plopped open incredulously and her cheeks flamed red as the story she was reading escalated into… something else entirely. Anna thought for sure her eyes were deceiving her, because suddenly the story sisters were in a rather compromising situation… a compromising sexual situation with each other, to be exact. Totally not at all whatsoever in a sisterly way…

Obviously.

Anna slammed the book shut and tightly held it an arm's length away from her as if it were going to jump out of her hands and tear her to shreds. "Oh, boy," she whispered, her brain whirling chaotically as she tried to grasp and make sense of what she just read.

One thing was for sure, she definitely could not show this to Elsa…

It's got to be some kind of trick, Anna told herself with a short laugh. It had to be a stupid, perverted joke one of the foolish servants decided would be funny to play on her, because there was absolutely no way she could have written this… scandalous material about her and Elsa doing things like that together. It was preposterous, unthinkable! It was… it was… wow.

Wagging her head, Anna cracked the book open to where she left off and closely examined the handwriting to prove to herself she didn't write it. The point was exceptionally hard to prove when the handwriting was remarkably identical to her own…

But… but how was that even possible? It couldn't have been penned by her hand! She definitely would have remembered writing something like this! Boy, would she have remembered…

Desperate for answers, Anna flipped to the very first page and found what appeared to be a short note scrawled there. Great! Perhaps she would find a reasonable explanation for its existence. She really hoped so, because the situation was really freaking her out… Chewing on her upper lip intensely, she started to read.

_To my lovely, undeniably gorgeous and deliciously scrumptious sister and greatest queen ever, Elsa! Phew, that's a lot of words… and there's so much more to add to it, too!_

_Anyway, if you're reading this then that means you and I are finally together at last! Yay! To celebrate, I present to you this wonderful collection of short stories that I've… ahem… dabbled in while I was bored. I had a LOT of fun writing these and I hope you have just as much fun reading them. ;D_

_Love, your one and only sweet little fireball of a sister, Anna._

What the actual fuck was going on? Anna wondered, ruffling her bangs in disbelief. Not only did she apparently write these… incredibly steamy stories, but she fully intended to have Elsa see them too!? What madness was this?

The responsible thing to do was to get rid of the book and burn it so it wouldn't get into the wrong hands, especially Elsa's hands. Anna intended to do just that…but she wanted to get one last quick peek at it first. For research purposes, of course!

Nervously sucking down the saliva that pooled in her mouth, Anna turned to the next page and began reading the first story from the beginning. As she greedily consumed and digested the extremely naughty and eloquently detailed words, she could vividly picture the scenes depicted in the book as they unfolded in her head. And god, it was so wrong, yet… why did it seem so right? It was unexplainable but she felt it in her heart, in the way it skipped and purred happily with each mention of her wonderful sister.

Thoroughly engrossed in the forbidden story, Anna sat slouched with her nose buried deep in the book, unable to tear herself away. The blood coursing through her veins pumped faster the more she read, spreading waves of heat to all parts of her body but centering more noticeably around her face and nether region. A particularly overwhelming rush of warmth traveled straight through her abdominal area and she groaned at the sensation, fanning her face, flushed and lightheaded and embarrassed by how her body was reacting. And Anna kept telling herself to stop reading after this part. No, this part. No…

Distantly she heard what sounded like knocking and someone calling her name, but the sounds didn't register properly. So when her door slowly inched open and a figure entered and crept towards her, she was highly unaware of the invading presence until a familiar voice spoke directly behind her.

"Anna?"

A bolt of lightning zipped down her spine and Anna spazzed out and screamed in fright, throwing the book down and spinning around so fast, she lost her balance and fell back on her elbows. Her startled blue-green eyes flashed up to meet her sister's inquiring ones. "E-Elsa! What-" How long had she been standing there? Anna thought fearfully. What if she had peered over her shoulder and seen what she was reading? "I- I didn't… I didn't hear you come in! Y-you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she stammered. She diverted her eyes down, unable to meet Elsa's for too long after getting caught reading such shocking material. They fell to Elsa's breasts briefly before she hastily dropped them slightly lower, but then she realized the new area she was looking at was the general area of her sister's crotch so she dropped them once more till they landed safely on her sister's perfectly harmless feet.

Tucking an important looking envelope under her arm, Elsa apologized and rambled, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you! I needed to talk to you about something and I heard you were in your room and I swear I knocked really hard and loud and I even called your name a bunch of times except you must not have heard me for some reason because you didn't answer me so I… I…" Peering down at Anna, whose cheeks were flushed a vibrant pink, her captivating eyes dilated, panting faintly and haphazardly splayed out on the floor, Elsa was confronted with an enticing sight. "I…um… Are you…okay?"

"What? Okay? Me? Oh, ha, yeah! Pssh. I'm fine! I'm great! I'm just a little hot, that's all!" Anna answered, wide-eyed, plucking at the skirt of her dress. "I think I've been cooped up inside for too long and I've overheated a bit! A lot, actually! Yep! That's exactly it! I should probably go outside and get some fresh air! Maybe take a dip in the fjord or something to take the blistering heat off!"

"Anna, why are you shouting?"

"I…" Flustered, Anna shifted to her knees and meekly said, "I didn't realize I was, sorry."

Chuckling, Elsa waved her hand over her sister's kneeling form, twirling her fingers and releasing a small burst of her magic, surrounding her with a refreshing, soothing breeze. Anna shut her eyes upon feeling the light caress, which felt to her as if Elsa were physically touching her, skimming her skin with the tips of her elegant fingers.

Laying her hand gently on Anna's head, Elsa asked, "Do you feel a little better?"

Anna pushed into the touch and nodded. She was a little disappointed about how soon it ended, honestly, but it efficiently calmed the fire that was burning in her blood. "Yeah, sure!" she chirped. "That… that works, thanks. I forgot you could do that… I mean, I didn't forget, but… you can do really amazing things with your hands." She meant it in an innocent way, but as soon as she said it, her mind turned to some of the things story Elsa did to story her with said magical hands. A fresh splash of color returned anew to her freckled face and she found herself blurting, "I totally mean that in reference to your powers, of course!"

"Ah… Of …course. What else?" Sporting a blush that strongly matched Anna's own, Elsa removed her hand and coughed to clear her throat. Holding up the envelope, she said, "Right, so I wanted to-"

"I'm glad you're here, actually!" Anna interrupted quickly. "Not that I'm never glad to see you or anything, I mean! But there's something I wanted to give you, and with you being here now it saves me the trouble of having to search for you. Not that I have a problem with searching for you. You're pretty easy to find, really, but…" She blindly felt behind her and picked up the box, jumping to her feet and thrusting it at Elsa in one fluid motion. "Here!"

Skittishly, Elsa leaped back at the sudden movement. The envelope escaped her clutches and fluttered to the floor, coming to rest at their feet. She left it where it landed and cautiously accepted the box from her sister. "What's this?"

"It's nothing sexual!" Elsa snapped her head up and fixed her with a suspicious look and Anna blanched. "Special! Nothing special!" she loudly corrected herself, laughing flightily and scuffing the floor with her foot. "Just some crappy old drawings I made back in the day. Consider it an apology. You know, for the whole… mouse thing…" She specifically avoided mentioning the naked part but she might as well have said it anyway because Elsa turned redder than she already was.

"It… it's fine, Anna. There's nothing to apologize about," Elsa assured, moving to Anna's bed and taking a seat. She bent her head to investigate the box's contents and a hank of white blond hair dangled loosely in front of her eye. She swept it back in place with a brush of her hand and removed the top item from Anna's box.

"Well, I disagree!" Anna was about to say plenty more, but all that came out of her mouth was a tiny squeak as she became grossly aware of the fact that Elsa was on her bed. It really shouldn't have been a big deal because it was just Elsa innocently sitting on her bed… except it turned into a massive big deal when all too real flashes of her sister naked and moaning her name beneath her came unbidden to her mind. Another wave of heat seeped into her cheeks and her mouth dried up and she fiddled with one braid, tugging and tweaking it. At the same time her heart knocked aggressively inside her chest, as if trying to get her attention. She pressed her palm to her chest to quell the pounding and mentally cursed herself.

Why, oh why did she have to be stubbornly curious and read that damned book? She should have stopped at the first sign that something was out of ordinary instead of forging on like an idiot and crossing into territory she never should have entered. Because of her stupidity, her mind was severely tainted. How could she possibly hope to return things back to normal between them after reading that kind of stuff? It wasn't like she could wipe it from her mind and forget it existed!

Anna silently apologized and begged her sister for forgiveness. She knew if Elsa ever saw what was in that book she would be repulsed and beyond furious and probably end up hating her… and if that happened her life would forever be ruined, and all because of that cursed book…

The very thing that Elsa had wide-open and clasped within her own two hands!

Oh, shit! Anna's mouth suspended open in a silent scream. Sincerely hoping the object in Elsa's hands was a mirage, she threw a panicked glance into the closet, checking for the book's last known whereabouts. Seeing no sign of it, she chomped down on her index finger and realized with rising horror that she had accidentally thrown it back into the box and handed it practically on a silver platter to her sister!

No, no, no! This couldn't be happening. She couldn't let Elsa see the dirty things written on those pages! It would destroy the dwindling thread that held up the remainder of their precious sisterhood. She would never be able to repair it after that! "Elsa, wait! Don't look at that!"

But it was far too late. Elsa's inquisitive blue eyes were already flitting across the page with professional ease, absorbing the words displayed before her faster than Anna could speak them.

Paralyzed where she stood, powerless to put a stop to Elsa's reading thanks to her uncooperative legs, all Anna could do was watch her sister with bated breath and a heavy feeling of dread hovering over her.

The corner of Elsa's mouth flickered with a hint of a smile and then gradually widened and was quickly joined by a delightful noise…

A giggle… Elsa giggled! Anna perked up and gawked at her sister in silent wonder. Hearing Elsa giggle was such a rare and elusive sound… It was a pity, too, because it was probably the last time her ears would ever be graced by it if Elsa proceeded forward with her reading…

The giggling erupted into full blown laughter. "Anna… you wrote this?" Elsa said in amazement. She was absolutely glowing, her eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Um… heh." Rubbing the back of her neck, Anna said, "That's a really good question! A very, very good question, actually. Certainly up for debate." She stiffly inched forward, reaching to take the offending book away from her big sister and warned, "You probably shouldn't read any further."

Elsa batted her hand away without pausing or looking away from her reading. "Why not? This is fantastic!" she cooed.

"I thought so, too…" Anna muttered under her breath. The only thing fantastic about the current situation was the dazzling smile Elsa wore. She wanted to prolong that fabulous smile and the only way to do that was to make sure Elsa didn't get to any of the good parts… Good parts? Shaking her head, Anna made another lunge for the book, but Elsa once again avoided her easily. "Elsa, I'm begging you. Don't read any more, please," she pleaded.

The Queen failed to heed her words. "Why in the world would I-" Her words abruptly dropped off and the beautiful smile she wore dimmed dramatically and all traces of color evaporated from her face before a deep, permanent flush replaced it. "Oh," a long, quiet moan of disgust breached Elsa's mouth and a slender hand flew up to cover it.

Wait… was it disgust? To Anna's ears it didn't sound that way. In fact, the moan oddly had a powerful effect on the younger girl, delivering a thrilling, skin tingling shudder throughout her body that made her drift closer to her sister in order to hear it better before she came to her senses and stopped.

What was wrong with her? Clearly the moan was blatant disgust and her corrupted mind misinterpreted it as something else… It was strange, though, because Anna had thought that Elsa would have stopped reading the second she got to one of those parts, and so far the Queen had yet to quit. If she was disgusted, which she had every right to be, then why was she still reading? "Elsa?" the confused Princess hesitantly croaked.

Anna's voice jerked Elsa out of the daze she'd fallen into and she snapped the book closed, the wind effect from the force of it blowing her bangs up. She was breathing unevenly and wouldn't grant the Princess a look, obviously greatly appalled and repulsed by what she just saw.

An awkward silence stretched out. Anna knew she needed to say something, anything! An abundance of excuses whirred through her head but none of them sounded convincing enough to explain the raunchy contents of the book and why she had it amongst her things, so she went with the truth and speculation. "Elsa, I honestly don't know what that is or where it came from! I know it might look like my handwriting but I swear I had nothing to do with it! Somebody with too much time on their hands forged it, probably-"

"I believe you!" Elsa said quickly, her voice coming out high pitched.

"-trying to… what? You do?" Of all the things Anna was expecting her sister to do or say upon discovering the book, this was not one of them.

"Yes, yes, I do!" Elsa readily answered, her head bouncing up and down a little too enthusiastically. She thumped her knuckles against the cover. "This isn't something you'd write, obviously."

"Obviously," Anna agreed eagerly.

"So I'll… I'll find out who's responsible and deal with the perpetrator accordingly," Elsa said convincingly, "and then I'll dispose of this… this… offensive, blasphemous material and… we'll pretend it never existed in the first place!"

It was a simple and logical solution, Anna thought as she eyed the book. But despite the questionable nature of the subject matter, she really didn't want to see it go. She couldn't deny she found it quite… interesting. "You already have so much to deal with as it is, there's really no point in adding another headache to your list. I'll take care of it," she offered.

Elsa refused, "I don't think so, Anna. It's my job. My responsibility. I'll handle it."

"Come on, Elsa." Anna extended her hand, hoping Elsa would give it up willingly. "Let me do it."

Unwilling to release it into her custody, Elsa hid it behind her back. "I've got it, Anna. Just leave it be."

"Elsa, hand it over or I will forcefully take it from you," the Princess threatened. Her fingers flexed and shaped into claws, ready to rip the book from Elsa's clutches.

Recognizing she was in serious danger when she saw the determined, fiery gleam in Anna's eyes, Elsa gulped. Her own eyes fell to her current placement on the bed and a flash of fear and excitement coalesced within her as she distinctly recalled what happened last time she was on a bed and Anna had literally pounced her… "Oh, no," she breathed out loud, while her body thrummed in blissful expectation and whooped, "Oh, hell, yes!"

One thing was crystal clear… she needed to evacuate FAST!

The nimble Queen abandoned the bed and scurried out of the way before Anna's feet could leave the floor. Crossing her arms over her chest, the book protectively guarded underneath, the older woman held up a flimsy hand to deter Anna from continuing her pursuit. "Stay back!"

Anna ignored her command and advanced towards her.

Retreating a few steps away from the approaching Princess, Elsa's back met a solid wall of resistance behind her. In an effort to evade Anna's incoming assault, she had made a foolish error and hopped off the wrong side of the bed, distancing herself from the door, and caging herself in a corner. Plastered against the wall, Elsa's eyes darted like flies, searching for an alternate escape route as Anna menacingly approached.

There was only one way out, and that was through the bedroom door, unless she opted to jump out the window... The latter choice wasn't exactly practical considering the long drop, and she would need to get passed Anna to get to the window, anyway. With all her sides except one blocked, Elsa wasn't left with many options. Her only chance of escape was hurdling over the bed and making it to the door.

Moving quickly, Elsa ducked to her left, sprinting towards the bed and throwing herself onto it. Before she could roll to safety on the other side and flee out the door, a pair of strong hands effortlessly grabbed her by the waist, weighing her down, and she collapsed uselessly face down on the bed, trapping the book beneath her.

As Elsa vainly fought to crawl away, the Princess held her in place, preventing her from moving, and climbed aboard, saddling herself on Elsa's firm rump. Gliding her hands up her sister's sides, Anna tried to worm them into whatever available space she could sneak them through and she managed to hook her fingers on the inside of Elsa's elbows. She attempted to pry the rigid arms loose and apart but the Queen's body was unyielding.

Harrumphing in annoyance, Anna sat up straight and folded her arms. With Elsa unlikely to give in any time soon, all she could do was wait her out. Normally that would be problematic since Anna was rather impatient and disliked staying still for long periods of time, but she found her current position astride her sister to be very comfortable. Her lips curved into a smirk and she stretched and languidly blanketed herself entirely over Elsa's back, resting the side of her head against the soft, fluffiness of Elsa's hair.

Elsa's breath hitched and she lifted her hips to shake Anna off her. Anna didn't budge. "Anna," she huffed, wriggling desperately. "You need to… Can you please get up?"

"Sorry to inform you, My Queen, but I'm not moving until you give me what I want," Anna drawled, taking the end of Elsa's braid and twirling it lazily.

"That's not happening." Elsa tried another experimental buck, but doing so only prompted Anna to clamp her thighs tightly around her and push down firmly. The brief action drove Elsa wild, her arousal spiking instantly. She stopped moving and went limp, smothering her face into the bed to block the moan of ecstasy that was itching to break free.

Unaware of the state she worked her sister into, Anna sang out, "Then it looks like we have a stalemate, so I guess I'll be staying here forever."

And that, Elsa decided, wasn't a bad thing. She was more than perfectly fine with that scenario. Realistically, though, it couldn't happen. "Seriously, Anna. You have to… get….up!" Straining, she heaved upward, pushing herself onto her elbows with all her strength, leaving a decent gap between her body and the bed.

Anna clung on and, seeing a perfect opportunity, she jammed one hand into the opening provided to her, feeling around for the book and grasping at the tiny sliver she came in contact with. With her other hand she grazed the right side of Elsa's stomach through the material of her sister's dress, poking the sensitive spot and receiving a violent twitch in response, followed by a heavy groan.

"Anna, please, stop," the blonde half laughed, half moaned in protest.

"You know what you have to do," Anna said smoothly and unleashed a vicious tickle attack on the unprotected area, riling the stubborn Queen up even more.

"Nuh! Mmph!" Elsa bit down on the blanket to muffle her squeals and squirmed to fight the insistent administrations Anna bestowed on her. Her hold weakened due to her laughing fit, along with a combination of sweaty hands and the formation of slippery ice that swiftly encased the book as the struggle commenced.

Anna managed to slither the frosty book out from the shelter of Elsa's body and nearly plucked it free, but Elsa composed herself enough to prevent it from leaving her grasp and stretched her arm high above her head. Considering she was in a rather low position, the book wasn't as high as she would have liked and did nothing to discourage her little sister from reaching up and trying to snag it out of her hand. Anna's elevated position perched on Elsa's buttocks enabled her to do so easily.

In one last desperate effort to keep Anna from snatching the book from her, Elsa thrashed her arm. Her crazy movements and the icy condition of the book caused it to literally evacuate the building as it slipped away from her, zooming through the air, across the room, and out the window in a glorious shower of sparkling glass.

The two bodies on the bed froze at the resounding shatter and exchanged a look of bemused shock before they burst into action, scrambling off the bed and scampering towards the broken window. Knocking shoulders, they pressed their heads together and anxiously peered out the jagged hole that was created from the errant book and scanned the ground far below for its whereabouts.

Anna's room overlooked the royal garden, providing her with a grand view of the blossoming floral arrangements and the luscious foliage that a certain hard working snowman lovingly tended to daily. The little self-professed gardener was in the garden at that precise moment and was busy marveling at the new addition that had firmly imbedded itself into his snowy form.

"Olaf!" Elsa cried out.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked, purely out of courtesy since she was well aware that the snowman physically couldn't feel pain. He'd had his head kicked off and objects impaled through him numerous times and it never seemed to faze him.

As expected, Olaf showed no sign of discomfort, despite the book protruding from his body. He gazed up at them and waved exuberantly. "Hi, Elsa! Hi, Anna! Look!" he called, giggling and pointing at the book. "It's raining books!"

"Olaf, hold on to that!" Elsa hollered down to him. "Do not let it out of your sight under any circumstances!"

"Okay!" Olaf stuffed the rest of the book inside himself until there was no visible sign of it and patted his snow neatly in place. Pleased with himself, he grinned, but then immediately frowned when the particles of glass that littered his previously immaculate garden caught his attention. He fussed over the mess, sweeping the shards into a pile with his two snowballed feet to clean it up.

The sisters shared a mutual sigh of relief once they were sure the book was in a relatively safe place, and with the cause of their struggle now out of the picture for the moment, they fidgeted awkwardly beside each other, neither knowing what to say to bypass the suffocating tension that sprouted between them.

When the silence lingered for much too long, Anna hazarded an attempt to break it. "So… there seems to be a common theme lately with you destroying my room. First my poor, defenseless door was brutally murdered beyond repair and now my window has been smashed. It makes me wonder what might be next on your hit list," Anna quipped light-heartedly, jabbing Elsa playfully with her elbow.

Elsa didn't crack a smile. Her frown deepened and she pressed her hands to her forehead, moving away from the window and her sister. "It's getting worse and worse," she mumbled to herself, picking up a maddening back and forth pace.

"What? What's getting worse?" Anna asked quizzically, tracking Elsa's movements. "Your powers?"

Elsa didn't answer her and kept on pacing and talking lowly. "It has to end. There's too much at stake."

Anna found herself quickly getting dizzy the longer she watched her sister crisscross from one side of the room to the other, so she looked away and placed her hand on the window ledge to steady herself, mindless of the tiny bits of broken glass that collected there. "Elsa, can you please sit down or stand still? You're making me- Yeow!" She hissed in pain when a glass shard sliced into her left palm and yanked her hand to her chest.

Alerted by the painful cry, Elsa spun on her heel. "Anna!" She rushed to Anna's aid, taking the injured hand in her own and rebuked, "Be careful!" Evaluating the damage done, she gasped in alarm as blood oozed from the ugly cut that marred her sister's skin. "You're bleeding!"

Anna grimaced. "A little bit, yes." Her hand started to shake uncontrollably for no apparent reason and she tried to stop it by tensing her arm, but she soon realized the shaking wasn't coming from herself. It was coming from Elsa. "Elsa! Calm down. It's just a minor cut," Anna tried to assure her. "It's not that serious! Relax, will you?"

Her face pinched with worry, a highly distressed and trembling Elsa guided Anna to the bed and delicately cradled the hurt hand in her lap. "This is all my fault," she said gravely.

"It's my fault, not yours," Anna corrected gently. "I wasn't thinking. I should have known better than to carelessly lean there when there would obviously be pieces of glass lying around."

"There wouldn't have been any glass lying around to begin with if I didn't break the window," a disgruntled Elsa reminded. She conjured up a thin, malleable ice tissue after a few sloppy, failed attempts, her upset condition making what would have been an easier task if she was in a better mood much more difficult. The bluish tinge of the cloth-like square sheet of ice faintly turned a shade of purple as she dabbed at the wound lightly to draw in the excess blood that leaked out.

The chilliness of the ice touching her skin made Anna gasp loudly, causing Elsa to retract her hand, fearing she was inflicting more pain on the younger girl. "No, don't stop! The cold surprised me. It's okay," Anna said encouragingly, urging her to continue with her administrations and Elsa tentatively did so. "Anyway, you wouldn't have broken the window if…" Anna started to counter Elsa's last statement, and then paused and rolled her shoulders in a small shrug. "Um… well, you know."

The bleeding slowed down marginally faster thanks to the effect of the coldness wafting off the tissue. After checking for any remnants of glass that might have made itself comfortable in the gash and finding none, Elsa dragged the tip of her index finger along the length of the nasty red mark, sealing the wound with a thin layer of frost and then tenderly pressed her lips to it.

The endearing gesture and the love that Elsa transmitted to her when her sad blue, apologetic eyes locked with Anna's turquoise ones gave the Princess heart palpitations. Her chest swelled, threatening to explode from the incredible build up of fluffy warmth that was entrapped there, and it took every ounce of strength she had in her to not melt into a messy puddle of useless goop.

Elsa asked, "Are you okay?"

Anna stammered out an affirmative, "Yes. Yes, I am." Worry lines ridged Elsa's forehead and Anna wanted terribly to make them disappear, so she turned her hand over and slipped it into Elsa's, giving it a squeeze, disguising the minute discomfort the pressure caused with a radiant smile. "Your magical touch has healed me of all ailments, oh great and wonderful queen!"

"I'm hardly great or wonderful," Elsa replied impassively.

"Well, I think you're great and wonderful," Anna said seriously. Leaning forward, Anna punctuated her point by resting her lips on her sister's smooth cheek, keeping them there in a long lasting, chaste kiss. Her sister's soft flesh heated up under the lingering contact and she heard Elsa's breath stutter and felt her pulse speed up through their entwined hands. "And… that's all that matters," Anna finished, her voice dropping to a husky whisper as her own throbbing pulse linked up to the beat of Elsa's. Something hidden in the recesses of her mind stirred and clambered to come out, but before she could acknowledge and decipher whatever it was, it disappeared.

Torn by love, guilt, and shame, feeling wholly unworthy of the unflinching affection Anna was so good at giving her, a lone tear trickled from the corner of Elsa's eye. She flicked the drop and wiped any trace of its existence away before Anna noticed. "You're truly amazing, Anna," she said adoringly. "You just say and do things…" She squarely looked at Anna's face, drinking in her features, wanting nothing more than to shower every inch of the beauty in front of her with endless kisses.

Elsa's expression softened as a thought occurred to her. She once fantasized about Anna having fire powers, but in that moment it was clear to her that Anna was already equipped with an exceptional power of her own. "You were born with a great power of your own, Anna."

"What? Little old me with powers? No way… I do?" Anna said, intrigued, looking at her hands as if the powers Elsa claimed she had would reveal themselves to her. She wasn't aware of any signs manifesting that indicated she even had one. "What power is that?"

"A power so strong. A power so pure." Cupping a freckled cheek, stroking her thumb against the curve of Anna's jaw line, Elsa revealed softly, "The power of Love."

"Love?" The thought was lovely, and Anna wished it were true, but she found it very unlikely that she possessed such a wonderful power. Judging by the Elsa issues she'd been having the past few weeks, if she had such a power, it appeared to work sporadically if it worked at all.

At least it appeared to be working at that particular moment. Elsa was smiling at her warmly and seemed more relaxed than she had been in a very long time. The challenge was keeping that ray of sunshine in her sister beaming indefinitely. Unlikely to happen but she could damn well try.

Anna grinned impishly and winked. "That explains why I'm so lovable."

They laughed together and then sat in comfortable silence, smiling at each other. Anna was impressed by the turn of events. In the beginning, when Elsa found the book, Anna had been so sure things would go sour between them and she was so thankful that wasn't the case. Things seemed to be looking up.

With everything that took place, Anna almost forgot about the reason why Elsa had come to her. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

It appeared the reason slipped Elsa's mind as well. She looked confused when Anna posed the question.

"You said you needed to talk to me about something. I'm guessing it has to do with that envelope you dropped?" Anna hinted, trying to jog her sister's memory.

"Oh, yes…" Elsa's pleasant demeanor shifted at the mention of the envelope and she was back to being serious. She parted from Anna and stooped down, recovering the forgotten item from the floor and handing it to the copper-haired girl. Clasping her hands behind her back, she informed, "I received this a few days ago."

The curious Princess unceremoniously tore the flap open and took out the official looking paper inside. She pored over the words and squealed. "It's an invitation to a ball!" she said gleefully, jumping to her feet and hopping up and down, unable to contain her excitement. The invitation was from a neighboring kingdom known as Unikidom, which was southwest and a boat ride away from Arendelle. "Oh, my god, Elsa… Are we going?" She cast a hopeful look to her sister. "Can we go?"

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. After much deliberation, I've decided-" Elsa was cut off before she could get a chance to finish what she was going to say by a joyful scream of, "YES!"

Anna clapped her hands together, the invitation drifting away from her, and flounced into her closet to browse through her dresses to pick out something for the occasion. "What should I wear?"

"Wait, Anna!"

Dresses spewed out of the closet, spilling onto the floor and every available surface in the general area, including Elsa. A dress attached itself to Elsa's head and she removed it, only to have another replace it immediately after, followed by a few more garments in quick succession. "Anna!" Elsa shouted again, pawing at the ever growing pile that masked her vision. Wrenching the dresses off her, she stepped out of the danger zone to avoid being buried alive and said, "I think it would be best if you stayed here."

The clothes downpour ceased and Anna slowly came out of the closet, the brightness fading from her face, replaced with utter disbelief. "I don't understand. What was the point of showing me the invitation if we're not even going?"

Elsa collected the invitation, folding it neatly and returning it back to its sleeve. "I'm going… alone."

"Wait, what?" Anna looked hurt by her words. "You're going without me?"

"I'm really sorry, Anna. I know you're excited to go, and I'd love for you to come with me, but there's something important I have to take care of. It's… business related," Elsa said vaguely. Getting the invitation was a perfect chance for her to do what she needed to do, which was finding herself someone to keep her distanced romantically from Anna. She figured she would go to the ball and scout around and hope she'd come across someone promising. Doing so with Anna tagging along would only distract her from her goal and make the whole point of going moot.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Anna said dryly, "Business at a ball?" Of course Elsa would go to a ball for reasons other than having fun. It was such an Elsa thing to do. "Elsa, it's a BALL!" Anna emphasized, exasperated. "The point of a ball is to dance and do fun things! Fun things! Something you seriously need to learn to do!" Didn't they have this conversation once before? She was getting a strong sense of déjà vu… "You spend too much time wrapped up in your duties. Loosen up and have fun for once!"

"I wish I could..." Elsa murmured wistfully. It seemed whenever she tried to 'have fun,' she always ended up getting herself into worrisome predicaments. "But business comes before pleasure, and I can't hold this off for too long, Anna."

"What is this business you have to take care of?" Anna demanded peevishly, placing her fists on her hips and tapping her foot. "What is so damn important that it can't wait? Tell me."

Needing an excuse to keep her restless hands busy and to avoid Anna's prying eyes, Elsa started to pick up the scattered dresses, and as she did so she tried to think of an acceptable explanation to present Anna without giving away the exact reason. Somehow she had a hunch that Anna wouldn't be very receptive to the idea of her searching for a suitor. "Tentative negotiations to ensure the safety and prosperous future of Arendelle."

Anna stopped her sister's cleaning progress by stepping in front of her and on top of the clothes pile, fixing her with a stern look. She pointed down, indicating for Elsa to drop the clothes she had clumped in her arms and Elsa reluctantly obeyed. "I don't see why that has to be taken care of at a ball…" she said disapprovingly. "But fine. Whatever. Attend to your business, if you really must. I won't get in the way of it, so you can't use that as a reason for me not to go!" she retorted.

"There's another reason..."

"You mean another excuse," Anna groused.

"It would be our first time traveling on a ship to a neighboring kingdom." Elsa explained, "I want to make sure the journey will be safe for you. I don't want to put you in any danger."

Anna interjected, "It would be your first trip. I've had experience on a ship."

"You have?" Elsa said in surprise. She'd always assumed that Anna, like her, had never ventured out of the castle during those years of isolation, never mind leaving Arendelle itself.

"Papa took me along with him on a few of his trips," Anna gloated. Unfortunately she wasn't able to enjoy her very first trip due to suffering symptoms of a killer seasickness. She didn't feel as squeamish on the second trip, thankfully, and by the third one she had gained her sea legs and was a natural on the open seas thereafter. Adgar jokingly told her she'd make a great pirate one day. Planting such an idea in a young, adventurous princess's head was a bad idea. Anna went through a phase where she pretended she was a pirate, running around the castle halls wearing an eye patch and gruffly screaming "Arg" with a fake stuffed parrot perched on her shoulder and a wooden sword clasped in a tiny hand. Servants had to deal with her poking and prodding and plundering of chocolates. Though she played by herself the whole time, she did try to include Elsa in one of her reoccurring fantasies that involved rescuing a trapped princess from a cave that was well guarded by a ferocious dragon, which funnily enough had ice powers… The cave was Elsa's bedroom door and the dragon was born from Anna's amazing imagination.

"I remember that." Elsa smiled fondly at the recollection after Anna shared the information with her. "I used to hear you grunting and banging outside my door and I had no clue what you were doing."

"It got pretty intense," Anna said with a small laugh. "I was so bad that Papa wouldn't let me go on another trip until I grew out of that phase." When her laughter died away, she aimed sad, pouting eyes her sister's way. "Elsa, please, please, please let me go with you!" she implored. "If you're worried I might cause a scene, I swear I'll behave."

Shaking her head, Elsa promised tiredly, "You can come with me next time, Anna."

Anna's lower lip rippled. "No, I can't… I won't let you go alone! What if… what if you don't come back?" she said, her words dropping to a faint whisper. Her chest constricted painfully and she wobbled unsteadily on her feet, turning ashen, suddenly feeling very sick and sinking onto the mountain of dresses beneath her.

"Whoa, Anna! Hey." Joining her on the floor, Elsa rubbed a placating hand on Anna's arm. "Of course I'll come back."

"They didn't." The two simple, bitterly spoken words hung in the air between them.

Elsa was at a loss for words. "Anna…"

Anna continued thickly, emotions clogging her throat, "They left and they didn't come back and I…I…" Her downcast eyes filled with moisture and she started to cry into her hands. "Oh, Elsa…" she blubbered, "I… I was supposed to go with them."

Inhaling sharply, reeling from the implication behind the tearful confession, Elsa released a breathy, "What?" The room temperature plunged into an almost unbearable chill and fragments of ice sprouted around her feet, running across the floor and scaling up the walls.

Turning her shoulders inward and hugging her stomach, shivering from the sudden frigidness of the room, Anna revealed hoarsely, "I almost went with them." She was well aware her words were drastically upsetting Elsa, and she told herself to stop there and leave the rest of the details out, but the possibility of Elsa leaving her and never returning because of reasons beyond her control drove a sharp pain straight through her heart and she couldn't keep it contained inside her any longer. Wisps of her breath swirled visibly before her as she shakily told Elsa everything.

An invitation had been delivered to Arendelle announcing the upcoming ceremony of the once upon a time lost princess of Corona's union to her soon to be husband. When Anna was informed of the invite by their parents, she had been so thrilled at the prospect of attending her first ever wedding, at finally getting the chance to witness what love shared between two people could become, that she drove everyone nuts during the days and weeks before the trip with her incessant squawking. The Princess had every intention of going to this wedding and absolutely nothing could have steered her away from the highly anticipated trip… or so she thought.

Anna had packed her things well in advance and was all set to go, but on the day before they were supposed to depart, as she passed Elsa's closed door, it occurred to her that if she went on the trip with their parents, her sister would be alone for two whole weeks. It was a saddening thought, and even though Elsa wouldn't see or speak to her for some mysterious, unknown reason, Anna didn't want to leave her by herself. She wanted to be there for her sister, regardless of their relationship status, so she promptly informed her parents that she changed her mind about going and would stay in Arendelle.

She didn't realize at the time how significantly that one decision would affect her life.

The tears Anna shed froze solidly into tiny crystals of ice as they fell the short distance from her face to the ground. She never once took her eyes off the floor the whole time she spoke. "If I hadn't backed out of the trip last minute, if I boarded the ship…" she whispered, trailing off, unable to finish the morbid thought.

A whimpered, "No," accompanied by a hiccupped sob reached Anna's ears and a pair of cold, clumsy hands clutched her face in desperation as if to physically cement the fact that she was real and alive. "No…" Elsa repeated, letting her love for Anna flow as her lips proceeded to paint a frenzy of heartfelt kisses upon the surface of Anna's delicate, warm skin. Elsa hated to think about what could have been if Anna had perished on that fateful day with their parents… Without her little sister's lively spirit near her, supporting her, where would Elsa be now? What would she have become?

Nothing. Elsa's being would amount to nothing without Anna.

Ghosting a shuddery puff of breath over Anna's lips, Elsa stopped short of landing her lips on the supple flesh with difficulty. The chill and ice that permeated the room dissolved into nothingness when her slender arms encompassed Anna and she held her dear little sister close to her heart. "No…"

All the confusion Anna had been feeling the past few weeks and within the past hour alone was smothered entirely, drowned away by the pervading warmth that Elsa channeled through her all consuming embrace. In that moment, Anna was wrapped in the arms of the most important person in her world and everything was as it should be. Well, almost. Sniffling, Anna muffled into Elsa's chest, "I'm going with you, whether you like it or not. If something happens, I want to be there by your side. I want us to be together…"

I want that too, Elsa thought pensively. She wanted nothing more than for them to be together, in every possible way. Nuzzling the top of the Princess's head, she acquiesced, "Okay, we'll go together." She couldn't refuse Anna after hearing that unsettling, devastating news. Twice now she nearly lost Anna for good, and this dreary thought only strengthened her resolve to go to the ball and search for a suitor, because she'd be damned if she endangered her sister's precious life again

"I'm sorry," Anna said, suddenly very shy and embarrassed by her behavior. "I didn't mean to get all dramatic. I just…"

Elsa shushed her, petting her back. "I understand." Drawing away, she thumbed Anna's nose and teased, "My little drama queen."

"Princess, actually," Anna corrected, smiling lopsidedly. Wiping her face on her arm, she took in the clothes they were sitting on and snorted a laugh. "Why does it seem like we're always at the center of a disaster?"

A valid question for sure, Elsa thought. Literally and figuratively, the two sisters always seemed to be caught up in some huge mess… She stood up, dragging the Princess up with her. "I'll send a maid to come and clean up the clothing catastrophe you've made, and I'll have someone replace the shattered window as soon as possible. Please stay away from it in the meantime," she said, taking Anna's left hand and scowling at the cut at the center. She quickly kissed it once more and lowered the hand to Anna's side, patting it and then turning away from her and walking towards the bed. Scooping up the box Anna had given her earlier, she said, "We'll be leaving in a few days for Unikidom. It won't be too long of a trip, so pack light, okay?"

"Okay," Anna said with a nod.

Before leaving, Elsa went over to her one last time and gave her another hug, murmuring, "I love you," into her hair, which caused Anna's heart to somersault merrily, the hurt she felt from her earlier reminiscing of a painful past gone. She watched Elsa leave the room with her box of silly drawings in hand, and after Elsa was long gone, it suddenly clicked that they were going to be traveling in a few days.

It was really happening! For the first time in forever they'd be visiting a new place outside of Arendelle! Anna couldn't believe it! Part of her was apprehensive about it, for plainly obvious reasons, but the other part of her was utterly ecstatic.

Anna was going to make sure she enjoyed herself at the ball, and while she was at it, she would try to get Elsa to unwind too… 


	21. A Wavy Ride

**AN: It's been a long while since the last update, so here's a really short chapter for you guys where nothing much really happens. Unfortunately, I've been struggling a bit with the upcoming chapter that this was a part of and haven't had much time to really work on it, so bear with me. **

The ride to Unikidom was a highly unpleasant experience for Elsa.

She was fine when the ship departed from Arendelle's docks and floated smoothly across the calm waters of the fjord, but as soon as their home was far behind them and the royal ship was rocking on the wavy open seas, Elsa was overcome with a severe case of seasickness. A picture of sophisticated grace the young, sickly queen was not as she clung to the ship's wooden railing with a death grip, her shoulders hunched forward and her head lolling unsteadily, almost drunkenly, as the ship parted through the waves at a brisk pace.

Letting out a quiet groan and hoping Anna was fairing better than her, Elsa asked with effort, "How are you holding up?" Her sister was standing directly beside her, and under normal circumstances she could have easily turned her head to look and see for herself how Anna was doing. Unfortunately for her, the tiniest bit of movement she made would cause a spell of dizziness to envelope her and invited the bile that settled low in her throat to shift dangerously upwards. To avoid passing out or a receiving a nasty viewing of her partially digested last meal, she swallowed repeatedly and refrained from moving too much, concentrating hard on her breathing and staying in an upright position.

Anna lifted her nose high and inhaled the salty atmosphere, her chest rising and falling as the air circulated through her system. "I am feeling great!" she said enthusiastically. "I'm a little nervous being on a ship again, which is understandable considering…" She released a deep, calming breath and smiled softly. "But this is… it's so wonderful, Elsa! I've always dreamt of the two of us going on an adventure together, and here we are traveling to a whole new world! Well, I mean, not a new world because there's only one world, or at least I think there is… but wow, what if there are other worlds out there? Can you imagine that? But anyway, we're going to a place we've never been before, which is technically like a totally new world for us! Right? Ooh, and this will officially be the second ball we'll be attending since your coronation!"

"Third," Elsa corrected absently.

Pawing at straggling wisps of her hair that wrestled free from her braids and were adamantly harassing her face due to the effects of the wind their sailing ship created, Anna said inquisitively, "Third? What do you mean?" Some strands found their way into her mouth and she spat them out and frustratingly tucked them behind her ear to keep them out of the way before she ripped them out of her head. She couldn't help but notice that Elsa didn't seem to be having the same issue as her and she was extremely jealous about that. Her sister's blonde hair was wrapped in an impeccably neat bun, with not one strand daring to move out of place.

"The masquerade ball?" Elsa reminded her, wondering how Anna could completely forget about it when the whole thing had been her idea to begin with. She opened her mouth to comment on that fact and then inwardly cringed when she remembered the exact reason why that little detail did not register in her sister's memory. The masquerade was strongly connected with the development of their forbidden relationship so it would have been blocked out by the mushroom's effects.

Anna studied Elsa closely, eyebrows undulating with confusion. "What? Masquerade ball?" The idea of a masquerade ball had occurred to her at some point and she faintly recalled discussing with Elsa the possibility of throwing such an event, but it never came to fruition and she wasn't sure why. Elsa had seemed more than agreeable to host one. Sure, it required a bit of prodding on the princess's part to get her to accept the proposal, but still…. She found it odd that Elsa would lump a ball that didn't happen yet into the mix. "Planning a future ball is not the same as throwing one, so that doesn't count. Unless you threw one without my knowledge," Anna teased.

Elsa paled and the queasy lump in her throat surged up threateningly. She forcefully swallowed it down and trained her eyes on the floorboards of the deck under her feet.

The perky princess bounced as she continued blathering on about the upcoming ball, her voice airy and brimming with unsuppressed happiness. "I bet there'll be lots of scrumptious and exotic foods to eat, and so many interesting people to meet!"

_And lots of available bachelors to choose from_, Elsa thought darkly. A very bitter taste coated her tongue and she gagged, covering her mouth with a fist, her cheeks puffing out. "Urg…"

Suddenly the ship lurched as a series of waves battered the hull, and Elsa's delicate stomach flopped and crashed violently, mimicking the motion. The puke she tried so very hard to keep contained sprang up and she just barely managed to throw herself flush against the railing in time to hurl overboard.

After she not so elegantly finished emptying her stomach of unidentifiable contents, Elsa perched one arm on the railing and rested her clammy forehead against the coolness of her skin. Panting raggedly, she closed her eyes and allowed her wrists to hang limply off the edge as she sucked in giant gulps of air and silently but explicitly cursed herself for making the decision to go on this torturous trip.

Sympathetic to the poor queen's plight since she had once been in the same position, Anna tsked and moved closer to her sister, pressing a hand gently into the dip of Elsa's back. "Elsa," she said tranquilly.

At the sound of her name, Elsa risked looking at Anna, raising her head slightly to find those beautifully familiar and oh so compassionate eyes gazing back at her warmly.

Anna tenderly brushed newly disheveled white-blonde bangs and soothed affectionately, "You should be resting below deck." She slung her arm securely around Elsa's waist and coaxed, "Come on, let's go."

Any touches that happened between them would be perfectly safe in her sickly state, Elsa reasoned, so she leaned dependently against her sister's lithe, sturdy figure, wholeheartedly welcoming and appreciating the physical closeness as Anna guided them towards the stairs that took them to the lower part of the ship where their cabins were situated. With her head comfortably laying on a loving, supportive shoulder, Elsa murmured into her slender neck, "Thank you for being here with me, Anna…" She couldn't imagine enduring the trip alone, to suffer through the terrible sickness without Anna's doting attention. She was so grateful that Anna convinced her to let her go with her.

Anna blushed, the gracious comment catching her by surprise, but she recovered quickly and pulled Elsa into a brief side-hug, caressing the queen's sweaty forehead with her lips. "Anything for my big sister," she cooed brightly. She helped Elsa to her temporary room, humming sweetly the entire way to keep her nice and relaxed.

And unsurprisingly, Elsa's love for her sister only grew stronger.


End file.
